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The   Chronicles  of 

Quincy   Adams   Sawyer, 

Detective 


WORKS   OF 
CHARLES  FELTON  PIDGIN 


Stephen  Holton       -        -         -         -  $1.50 
The  Further  Adventures  of  Quincy 

Adams  Sawyer  -  1.50 

The    Chronicles   of  Quincy   Adams 

Sawyer,  Detective         -        -     net  1.25 

postpaid  1.40 


L.  C.  PAGE  &  COMPANY 
53   Beacon   Street,  Boston,  Mass. 


DOBELL    DREW    A    REVOLVER    AND     SHOT     THE     ITALIAN 

DEAD."     (See  page  260.) 


THE  CHRONICLES  OF 

QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER, 

DETECTIVE 


Charles  Felton  Pidgin 

or  of  "  Quincy  Adams  Sawyer,"  "  The  Further 
Adventures  of  Quincy  Adams  Sawyer," 
"  Stephen  Holton,"  etc. 
AND 

J.   o/VL  Taylor 


Illustrated  by 

Harold  James  Cue 


BOSTON     f     L.  C.  PAGE  A 
COMPANY     Jf     cTWDCCCCXII 


Copyright,  1912, 
BY  L.  C.  PAGE  &  COMPANY. 

(INCORPORATED) 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London 
All  rights  reserved 


First  Impression,  October,  1912 


THE  COLONIAL  PRESS 
C.  H.  SIMOtfDS  *  CO,,  BOSTON,  TJ.  S.  A. 


CONTENTS 


I.  THE  AFFAIR  OF  THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  i 

II.  THE  AFFAIR  OF  THE  GOLDEN  BELT      .  .  63 

III.  THE  AFFAIR  OF  UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  .  149 

IV.  THE  AFFAIR  OF  TRIMOUNTAIN  BANK     .  .  200 
V.  THE  AFFAIR  OF  LAMSON'S  COOK    .       .  .  225 

VI.  THE  AFFAIR  OF  THE  PLYMOUTH  RECLUSE  .  257 

VII.  THE  AFFAIR  OF  WILLIAM  BAIRD,  P.  B.  .  287 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAQB 

"  DOBELL  DREW  A  REVOLVER  AND  SHOT  THE  ITALIAN 

DEAD  "  (See  page  260)  .       .        .      Frontispiece 

"  TlM   .   .    .   STRUCK  HIM,  HEAD  -  ON  "  .         .         .         42 

"  HE    PAUSED,    HIS    EYES    FIXED    ON    AN    INNOCENT- 
APPEARING  SUITCASE  "...         .          .          .         72 

"  JAMMING  RHODES  FORCIBLY  AGAINST  THE  WALL 

HE  STARED  INTO  THE  TERROR  -  STRICKEN  EYES  "    222 

"  PEERING   THROUGH   ONE   OF   THE   LIGHTED  WIN- 
DOWS, HE    WAS    ABLE    TO    CLEARLY  VIEW    THE 

WOMAN  WITHIN  ".......     254 

"  HELD  UP  HIS  HAND  IN  TOKEN  OF  SILENCE  "    .       .    304 


THE  CHRONICLES  OF 

QUINCY  ADAMS  SA  WYER 

DETECTIVE 


THE  AFFAIR  OF  THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT 

WITH  the  death  abroad  of  the  Honourable  Quincy 
Adams  Sawyer,  United  States  Ambassador  to 
Vienna,  his  son,  also  named  Quincy  Adams,  came 
into  possession  of  the  remnants  of  what  had  once 
been  a  large  fortune.  The  fortune,  however,  had 
been  greatly  impaired,  as  the  tastes  of  the  senior 
Quincy  Adams  Sawyer  had  developed  more  in  the 
directon  of  adventure  and  travel  than  in  that  of 
sober  business,  a  fact  which  led  eventually  to  bad 
investments  and  disastrous  results.  Therefore, 
when  the  elder  Sawyer,  cool  and  debonair  to  the 
end,  shook  his  son's  hand  for  the  last  time  and  calmly 
bade  him  farewell,  he  left  behind  an  amount  suffi- 
cient to  provide  a  small  income  for  that  son,  but 
J 


2      QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

by  no  means  sufficient  to  make  him  entirely  inde- 
pendent. 

To  the  younger  Quincy  Adams  Sawyer,  however, 
the  loss  of  his  father's  fortune,  which  had  always 
been  his  to  command,  was  a  matter  of  minor  im- 
portance. As  the  father  had  lived  with  the  main 
idea  of  seeing  strange  sights  and  meeting  new  peo- 
ple, so,  likewise,  did  the  son  find  that  strange  adven- 
tures and  unexpected  experiences  were  to  him  as 
the  breath  of  life.  Nor  did  this  fact  force  itself 
on  him  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  it  having 
been  well  founded  long  previous  to  that  event,  for 
the  younger  Quincy  had  led  a  constantly  changing 
existence  since  his  earliest  youth. 

When  he  entered  the  high  school  in  his  younger 
days,  after  a  decidedly  tempestuous  course  through 
the  lower  grades,  it  was  with  an  already  established 
reputation  for  deviltry.  But,  once  in  that  school, 
and  to  the  surprise  of  his  new  instructors,  who,  it 
must  be  confessed,  acknowledged  his  introduction 
to  them  with  a  decided  feeling  of  regret,  he  devoted 
himself  to  his  studies  with  a  mild  docility  that  was 
astounding.  The  reason  for  this  apparent  change 
was  a  peculiar  one.  Quincy,  purely -in  the  pursuit 
of  his  own  inclinations,  had  made  friends  with  the 
police  inspectors  and  had  entered  upon  an  exhaust- 
ive study  of  police  matters,  a  study  to  which  many 
subjects  in  his  school  curriculum,  as  he  early  dis- 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  3 

covered,  lent  a  wealth  of  information  that  was  in- 
valuable. For  instance,  he  early  made  the  discovery 
that,  if  one  were  able  to  deal  out,  in  grudgingly 
small  amount,  scientific  information  concerning 
chemical  analysis  and  kindred  subjects,  it  was  easy 
to  secure  in  return  information  concerning  the  more 
ordinary  points  of  police  work.  Thus  Quincy's  four 
years  in  the  high  school  passed  with  mutual  profit 
to  himself  and  to  the  police  inspectors. 

At  the  end  of  his  course  he  entered  the  great  uni- 
versity located  in  the  back-yard  of  his  home  city, 
carrying  with  him  resources  that  were  invaluable 
in  the  particular  style  of  course  he  had  selected.  He 
was  personally  acquainted  with  every  police  captain 
on  the  force,  could  call  every  inspector  by  his  first 
name,  and  had  shown  at  various  times  marked  tal- 
ent in  the  actual  work  of  the  detection  of  criminals. 
As  Quincy's  education  progressed,  so,  in  like  ratio, 
did  that  of  the  police  inspectors,  particularly  along 
the  lines  of  chemistry  and  psychology.  This  fact 
was  perhaps  due  not  so  much  to  the  desire  for  in- 
creased learning  on  the  part  of  the  inspectors,  or 
the  hunger  for  knowledge  on  Quincy's  side,  as  to 
the  spirited  arguments  with  which  Quincy's  visits 
to  the  police  stations  were  enlivened,  for  it  has  long 
been  established  that  men  cannot  continuously  argue 
along  given  lines  without  gaining  more  and  more 
information  with  which  to  strengthen  their  argil- 


4      QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

ments.  By  the  time  Quincy  had  completed  the  first 
half  of  his  freshman  year  so  great  had  his  friend- 
ship with  the  police  become  that  it  was  a  generally 
acknowledged  fact  throughout  the  college  that  Saw- 
yer could  easily  murder  the  mayor  and  escape  with- 
out so  much  as  a  reprimand ! 

By  the  time  he  had  finished  his  sophomore  year 
he  knew  police  work  and  methods  from  Alpha  to 
Omega.  Also,  he  had  exhausted  the  resources  of  his 
university  so  far  as  sociology  was  concerned  and 
had  browsed  about  casually  through  what  few  other 
courses  chanced  to  appeal  to  him.  He  had  joined 
every  club  and  secret  society  to  which  he  was  eli- 
gible, had  been  in  countless  altercations  with  the 
faculty,  and  had  generally  blazed  a  path  that  was 
startling  in  its  numerous  ramifications.  Then,  as  a 
grand  climax,  the  influence  of  the  police  not  extend- 
ing to  the  dean  and  the  faculty,  he  was  uncondition- 
ally expelled.  Expelled  with  a  thoroughness  and 
expedition  that  left  a  rankling  suspicion  that  the 
faculty,  as  a  whole,  was  delighted  with  the  oppor- 
tunity of  dispensing  with  his  presence,  and  sincerely 
trusted  that  he  might  never  stray  their  way  again. 

Nothing  daunted  by  his  summary  removal, 
Quincy  packed  his  trunk,  shook  hands  all  around 
with  the  police  inspectors,  who  watched  his  leave- 
taking  with  sincere  regret,  and  blithely  departed 
for  Vienna,  where  his  father  received  him  with 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  5 

solemn  words  and  twinkling  eyes,  for  Quincy's 
progress  had  been  regularly  reported.  The  quiet 
life  of  a  foreign  embassy,  however,  had  no  attrac- 
tion for  Quincy,  and  it  was  but  a  short  time  before 
he  once  more  packed  up  his  belongings  and  again 
set  forth  into  the  world  at  large.  During  the  five 
ensuing  years  he  travelled  ceaselessly,  visiting  every 
civilized  nation  on  the  globe's  face,  to  say  nothing 
of  many  nations  which  were  far  from  being  civi- 
lized. Being  a  rolling  stone,  he,  of  course,  gathered 
no  moss,  but  in  place  of  that  rather  questionable 
commodity  he  gathered  what  in  later  years  was  to  be 
of  inestimable  value  to  him;  namely,  information 
and  experience. 

Therefore,  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  the 
fact  that  his  expected  fortune  had  vanished  in  thin 
air  lowered  Quincy's  spirits  not  a  jot.  He  had  al- 
ready decided  on  the  profession  which  he  intended 
to  follow,  and,  in  order  to  establish  himself  in  that 
profession,  his  little  remnant  of  money  would  be  as 
useful  as  would  have  been  his  father's  vast  fortune. 
Consequently,  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Boston,  his 
early  home.  He  said  nothing  of  his  purpose  for  a 
time,  but  quietly  set  to  work  to  establish  a  reputa- 
tion for  himself  in  private  detective  work.  He  kept 
in  the  background  as  much  as  was  possible,  not 
wishing  to  launch  himself  until  at  least  one  impor- 
tant case  had  come  his  way  and  been  successfully 


6      QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

dealt  with.  At  last,  after  a  year  of  work  and  wait- 
ing, it  came.  His  name  flashed  into  the  limelight 
like  a  comet  across  a  dark  sky,  and,  within  a  week, 
the  city  in  general,  and  his  old  friends  in  particular, 
knew  that  Quincy  Adams  Sawyer  had  returned  to 
his  former  haunts  and  had  established  himself  as  a 
private  detective. 

His  project  at  last  auspiciously  launched,  Quincy 
abandoned  his  previous  niode  of  living  and  turned 
the  suite  of  rooms,  which  had  served  him  as  living- 
rooms  and  office  combined,  into  a  suite  for  living 
purposes  only.  He  then  removed  his  professional 
quarters  to  a  small  office  in  the  centre  of  the  city, 
hung  out  a  brass  plate  on  which  appeared  the  single 
word  "  Sawyer,"  and  plunged  into  the  work  which 
his  sudden  fame  had  brought  him  with  all  the  zest 
and  power  of  which  he  was  capable.  His  standing 
as  a  detective  was  now  firmly  established  and  grew 
day  by  day  as  his  old  friends,  the  police  inspectors, 
judiciously  turned  many  private  cases  his  way. 
That  he  had  a  marked  ability  in  their  particular  line 
they  had  all  along  known,  and,  now  that  he  had 
chosen,  in  a  way,  to  cast  his  lot  among  them,  they 
welcomed  him  with  a  heartiness  which  left  nothing 
to  be  desired.  And,  in  return,  Quincy's  regard  for 
his  old  friends  increased.  The  staff  had  changed 
somewhat  since  his  earlier  acquaintance  with  it, 
many  of  the  old  faces  were  gone  and  many  new 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  7 

ones  had  appeared  in  their  places,  but  the  sum  total 
made  up  the  same  old  staff  and  to  its  members  he 
was  kin. 

His  friendly  relations  with  the  local  police  thus 
renewed,  it  was  consequently  no  surprise  to  Quincy 
when  Inspector  Gates,  of  the  department,  appeared 
one  morning  in  the  doorway  of  his  office  and  glanced 
questioningly  within.  The  inspector  was  one  of  the 
newer  men  of  the  staff,  and  had  gained  his  pro- 
motion from  the  ranks  during  Quincy's  absence 
from  the  country.  He  was  a  young  man  of  deci- 
dedly pleasing  appearance,  whose  frank  face  and 
honest  eyes  invited  both  trust  and  friendship,  while 
his  age,  being  about  equal  in  years  to  Quincy's, 
proved  that  he  had  intelligence  of  a  marked  degree, 
since  he  had  so  early  in  life  been  chosen  for  the 
staff  of  inspectors.  He  had,  furthermore,  the  face 
of  a  statesman  coupled  with  the  build  of  a  prize- 
fighter, and  Quincy  surveyed  his  mighty  bulk  with 
admiration  as  <he  paused  in  the  doorway. 

"  Are  you  busy  this  morning,  Mr.  Sawyer  ?  " 
Gates  inquired  in  a  voice  of  drawing-room  polite- 
ness. 

"  Not  particularly  so,"  Quincy  replied  smilingly. 
"  Take  a  chair  and,  here,  have  a  cigar." 

Gates  deposited  his  weight  on  a  protesting  chair, 
accepted  the  proffered  cigar,  and  stared  at  Quincy 
speculatively. 


8        QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  Mr.  Sawyer,"  he  said  finally,  "  I  want  your  help 
in  a  case.  You  see  it's  this  way.  I'm  a  compara- 
tively new  man  on  the  staff  and  this  is  my  first  big 
case.  If  I'm  successful  in  it,  my  future  is  assured; 
but,  if  I  fail,  it  may  be  years  before  I  get  another 
chance.  The  case  is  a  peculiar  one  and  one 
offering  every  chance  of  failure.  That  is  the 
selfish  end  of  it,  but  there  is  also  another  side. 
There  is  an  old  lady  involved,  and  also  she's  such 
a  bully  old  lady  and  she  takes  everything  so 
cool  that  I'm  blamed  if  I'm  not  sorry  for  her, 
and  I  want  to  succeed  in  this  case  for  her  sake  as 
well  as  mine.  I  don't  mean  that  she's  suspected  of 
anything,  but  she  seems  to  be  on  the  receiving  end 
of  the  crime,  so  to  speak,  and  she  certainly  is  in 
danger  from  some  source  or  other.  That's  why  I 
came  here,  hoping  that  if  you  did  not  chance  to  be 
very  busy  you  might  give  me  a  lift." 

"  Of  course,"  Quincy  replied  as  Gates  paused  un- 
certainly. "  My  business  is  very  quiet  at  present, 
and  if  you  have  an  interesting  case  I  shall  be  over- 
joyed to  help  you  out  with  it.  You  fellows  have 
done  me  a  good  many  neighbourly  turns  of  late, 
and  I'd  be  a  poor  stick  indeed  if  I  were  not  ready 
to  reciprocate.  Now  let  me  hear  the  details,  please." 

"  The  story  is  this,"  Gates  stated  slowly.  "  Mrs. 
Marion  Patterson  and  her  grandson,  Fred  Hemen- 
way,  live  in  one  of  the  old-time  houses  in  the  Back 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  9 

Bay.  Mrs.  Patterson  is  reputed  to  be  comfortably 
well  off,  although  I  do  not  believe  that  she  is  con- 
sidered wealthy  in  the  broad  sense  of  the  word. 
She  lives  very  quietly,  keeps  no  carriage  or  auto- 
mobile and  only  one  servant,  a  woman  who  has 
been  with  her  since  she  first  commenced  housekeep- 
ing as  a  young  bride,  years  ago.  Hemenway,  her 
grandson,  is  a  young  man  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business,  although  his  business  is  centred  largely, 
I  imagine,  on  property  owned  by  his  grandmother, 
as  she  holds  numerous  houses  and  buildings  in  this 
city  and  the  neighbouring  towns.  He  is,  so  far  as  I 
have  been  able  to  discover,  an  excellent  fellow  in 
every  way.  That  for  the  introduction. 

"  The  story  proper  commences  at  a  time  a  week 
ago,  last  Tuesday  evening,  to  be  exact.  Hemenway, 
on  that  evening,  had  remained  down  town  in  his 
office,  after  hours,  to  work  on  some  papers  that  are 
connected  with  a  land  jumble  he  is  mixed  up  in. 
According  to  his  story  he  had  worked  until  about 
ten  o'clock  without  interruption,  and  had  almost  suc- 
ceeded in  tracing  out  the  various  points  which  he 
desired  to  settle.  Then,  without  any  warning  what- 
ever, without  his  even  becoming  aware  that  any 
person  had  entered  his  office,  he  was  struck  on  the 
head  and  rendered  unconscious.  He  did  not  regain 
consciousness  until  after  midnight,  and,  even  when 
his  senses  returned,  they  were  in  such  befogged 


10     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

shape  that  he  could  fix  his  mind  on  no  subject  save 
his  desire  to  return  home.  Consequently  it  was 
not  until  the  next  morning  that  the  police  were  noti- 
fied and  I  was  detailed  on  the  case.  I  went  to  his 
office  with  him  and  found  things  much  as  he  had 
described  them.  The  papers  he  had  been  working 
over  were  still  on  the  desk,  somewihat  damaged  by 
ink,  as  the  ink  bottle  had  been  overturned  during  the 
assault  and  its  contents  had  flowed  freely  over  the 
desk  and  everything  upon  it. 

"  The  most  curious  part  of  the  whole  affair,  how- 
ever, was  the  fact  that,  so  far  as  we  could  discover, 
not  a  single  article  in  the  room  had  been  taken  or 
disturbed.  Whether  Hemenway's  assailant  became 
frightened  after  striking  the  blow,  and  fancied  that 
he  had  done  more  damage  than  he  had  originally 
intended ;  or  whether  he  intended  to  kill  Hemenway 
outright,  and  had  no  other  purpose  in  view,  I  have 
been  unable  to  decide.  But,  whatever  his  purpose 
may  have  been,  the  fact  remains  that  nothing  was 
disturbed.  He  did,  however,  leave  behind  him  a 
clue.  The  clue  was  a  thumb  print  firmly  printed 
and  clearly  defined  on  the  door  just  above  the  knob. 
He  had,  you  see,  carelessly  smeared  his  thumb  with 
the  ink  from  Hemenway's  desk,  and,  on  making  his 
exit,  had  tranferred  the  ink  to  the  door,  leaving  a 
perfect  impression  of  his  thumb.  I  photographed 
the  impression  and  have  made  a  careful  search  of 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  11 

the  records  at  headquarters,  but  I  can  find  no  print 
there  which  corresponds  to  the  one  on  Hemenway's 
door.  Therefore  the  conclusion  must  be  that  the 
assailant  is  not  an  old-timer  or  we  would  have  his 
finger  prints. 

"  I  worked  on  the  case  unceasingly,  as  I  wished 
to  solve  it,  not  only  for  the  ends  of  justice,  but  for 
my  own  credit  as  well,  and  you,  knowing  police 
departments  as  you  do,  will  realize  that  such  a  de- 
sire was  not  so  completely  selfish  as  it  sounds.  But 
work  as  I  would,  I  was  unable  to  make  any  head- 
way whatever.  Then  came  the  next  step  in  the  case, 
and  one  which  was  even  more  surprising  than  the 
first.  Last  night  the  old  lady  was  assaulted,  and  I 
assure  you,  Sawyer,  that,  had  she  been  one  of  my 
own  relatives,  I  could  not  have  felt  more  savage  to- 
ward'her  assailant  than  I  do,  for  if  there  was  ever  an 
old  lady  who  was  white  clear  through,  she  is  the  one. 

"  The  assault  happened  in  a  manner  somewhat 
similar  to  that  on  her  grandson.  She  was  in  her 
'sitting-room,  reading,  while  she  waited  for  her 
grandson,  who  was  again  detained  in  his  office  by 
night  work.  She  is  somewhat  deaf,  so  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  she  heard  no  sounds  such  as  would  have 
been  made  by  a  man  forcibly  entering  the  house. 
The  assailant  entered  through  one  of  the  windows, 
which  he  forced  open.  Then  he  must  have  crossed 
directly  to  where  she  was  sitting  and  repeated  the 


12     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

assault  he  had  made  on  Hemenway,  namely,  he 
struck  her  on  the  head  and  knocked  her  uncon- 
scious. She  did  not  recover  until  Hemenway  re- 
turned at  a  late  hour  and  found  her.  He  immedi- 
ately sent  for  a  doctor,  who  cared  for  her,  and  then, 
when  she  had  regained  consciousness,  he  telephoned 
for  me. 

"  I  rushed  at  once  to  the  house,  but  she  was  un- 
able to  tell  me  anything  other  than  the  bits  of  in- 
formation which  I  have  given  you.  I  searched  the 
room  for  clues  and  found  one,  -a  repetition  of  that 
in  Hemenway's  office.  The  difference  in  this  case, 
however,  was  in  the  fact  that  the  thumb  print  was 
clearly  defined  on  the  face  of  a  small  mirror  which 
lay  on  the  table,  and  the  print  was  identical  with 
that  on  the  door  of  Hemenway's  office.  There- 
fore we  can  be  certain  that  these  assaults  were 
committed  by  the  same  person,  but  aside  from  that 
there  is  no  other  clue.  We  cannot  even  dis- 
cover a  motive,  as  in  neither  case  was  anything 
taken,  which  plainly  indicates  that  robbery  was 
not  the  intention.  Neither  have  they,  so  far  as 
either  knows,  an  enemy  who  would  wish  to  put 
them  out  of  the  way.  Furthermore,  it  does  not  seem 
that  the  assailant  intended  to  kill  them,  for  on  both 
occasions  he  was  careful  to  strike  only  a  stunning 
blow,  and  one  that  would  not  result  in  death.  That 
takes  away  the  possibility  of  murder  as  the  reason 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  13 

for  the  assaults,  besides  which  is  the  apparent  ab- 
sence of  any  motive  for  a  murder.  There  you  have 
the  case,  Sawyer,  and  the  stories  of  the  two  as- 
saults which  are  connected  with  it.  Will  you  take 
hold  of  it  with  me  ?  "  He  stared  at  Quincy  anx- 
iously as  he  finished. 

"  I  certainly  shall  take  hold  of  it,"  Quincy  re- 
plied heartily.  "  It  strikes  me  that  you  have  un- 
earthed a  case  of  unusual  interest." 

"  You'll  think  it  has  interest  when  you  undertake 
to  unravel  it,"  Gates  responded  grimly. 

"  All  right ;  but  we  shall  try,"  Quincy  laughed. 
"  Now  let  us  go  up  to  the  Back  Bay  residence  and 
make  our  start  there  before  the  trail  gets  too  old. 
We  can  take  in  Hemenway's  office  later,  if  it  be- 
comes necessary." 

The  Back  Bay  residence  of  Mrs.  Patterson  dif- 
fered only  in  minor  details  from  the  residences  which 
surround  it  on  every  hand.  It  was  a  plain,  brick 
house  with  a  disguised  areaway  at  one  side  and  with 
the  usual  flight  of  stone  steps  leading  up  to  the  front 
door.  Ascending  these  steps,  Quincy  and  Gates 
were  admitted  by  the  elderly  serving  woman  and 
were  shown  at  once  to  the  little  sitting-room  where 
the  assault  of  the  preceding  evening  had  occurred. 
Nobody  was  in  the  room  at  the  time,  and,  while 
Gates  pointed  out  the  several  points  of  interest,  and 
indicated  the  spot  occupied  by  Mrs.  Patterson  when 


14     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

she  was  struck  down,  Quincy  examined  the  room  and 
its  contents.  After  searching  the  room,  Quincy 
walked  across  to  the  large  window  and  peered  down 
into  the  areaway  just  beneath  him,  raising  the  win- 
dow and  examining  the  woodwork  at  the  end  of  his 
scrutiny. 

"  Humph !  "  he  muttered.  "  An  old-fashioned 
window-catch  of  no  value  whatever  as  a  lock.  Slid 
back  when  a  knife  blade  was  pressed  against  it.  You 
can  see,  Gates,  where  the  knife  scarred  the  wood." 

Apparently  deciding  that  nothing  of  value  was  to 
be  gained  at  the  window,  he  next  crossed  to  the 
table,  where  he  stood  for  a  long  time  looking  down 
at  the  thumb  print  still  plainly  visible  on  the  glass 
of  the  small  mirror. 

"Has  this  mirror  been  moved,  Gates?"  he  in- 
quired. 

"  Yes,  I  was  obliged  to  move  it  when  I  photo- 
graphed the  thumb  print,  but  I  marked  the  spot 
where  it  lay  and  replaced  it  exactly." 

For  a  moment  Quincy  was  silent,  but  at  last  he 
remarked  in  a  voice  that  seemed  half  speculative  and 
half  questioning :  "  I  wonder,  Gates,  what  logical 
reason  a  man  could  have  had  for  touching  that  mir- 
ror in  the  first  place.  It  lies  so  far  in  on  the  table 
that  he  wouldn't  be  likely  to  have  leaned  on  it  by 
accident,  but  yet  he  must  have  touched  it  in  some 
way.  What  do  you  suppose  he  wished  to  see  ?  " 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  15 

Gates  shook  his  head  silently.  "  I  am  sure  I 
don't  understand,"  he  replied.  "  It  seems  all  a  piece 
with  the  other  points  of  the  affair.  What  logical 
reason  could  he  have  had  for  knocking  the  old  lady 
on  the  head,  so  far  as  logic  is  concerned?  " 

Quincy  remained  thoughtful  for  a  few  moments. 
"Will  Mrs.  Patterson  be  able  to  see  us  this  morn- 
ing? "  he  then  inquired. 

"  I  think  so.  She's  pretty  plucky  and  she'll  be 
ready  to.  give  us  every  point  of  information  she  has 
if  she  can  talk  at  all.  She  was  too  dazed  to  talk 
much  last  night,  but  I  don't  think  that  she  is  seri- 
ously injured.  I'll  call  the  servant  and  inquire. " 

He  pressed  the  button  and  they  waited  in  silence; 
but,  when  the  door  was  finally  pushed  open,  it  was 
not  the  servant  who  appeared  before  them.  Quincy 
saw  framed  in  the  doorway  a  young  man  whose 
cool  eyes  flashed  sharply  over  them,  and  whose  ap- 
pearance gave  every  indication  of  ready  resource- 
fulness and  unhesitating  action.  Gates  greeted  the 
man  in  friendly  fashion  and  turned  toward  Quincy. 

"  Mr.  Hemenway,  Sawyer,"  he  said.  "  It  is 
probable  that  he  will  be  able  to  answer  our  ques- 
tions." 

"  No,"  Hemenway  replied  briefly.  "  My  grand- 
mother wishes  to  talk  to  you  herself.  She  is  sitting 
up  and  has  nearly  recovered  from  her  blow.  She 
wishes  me  to  conduct  you  up-stairs." 


16    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

Without  further  words  he  faced  about  and  as- 
cended the  gracefully  curving  stairway,  Quincy  and 
Gates  following  at  his  heels.  At  the  head  of  the 
stairs  he  turned  and  conducted  them  along  the  cor- 
ridor to  an  open  door,  where  he  stood  aside  and 
signed  them  to.  precede  him.  Within  the  room 
Quincy  found  himself  facing  <a  smiling  old  lady  who 
sat  propped  up  in  an  easy  chair,  amid  pillows  and 
cushions,  staring  at  him  with  sharp,  twinkling  eyes. 
Aside  from  a  small  bandage  which  encircled  her 
head,  she  gave  no  sign  of  the  adventure  she  had  so 
recently  experienced  and  seemed,  in  all,  but  little 
jthe  worse  for  the  attack. 

"  Isn't  she  plucky  ?  "  Gates  whispered  admiringly. 
"  Do  you  wonder  I'm  so  anxious  to  catch  the  man 
who  struck  her?  " 

Quincy  nodded  briefly,  and  glanced  up  at  the 
sound  of  the  woman's  voice. 

"  Have  you  gentlemen  been  able  to  formulate  any 
reason  for  the  unpleasant  attentions  which  have  been 
shown  to  my  grandson  and  myself?"  she  inquired 
in  a  voice  which  Quincy  noted  to  be  as  clear  as  her 
eyes. 

"  Not  yet,"  he  replied  with  gentle  respect ;  "  but 
we  hope  to  do  so  soon.  If  you  and  Mr.  Hemenway 
will  tell  us  everything  you  can  about  the  affair  it 
may  help  us  to  solve  the  problem  more  readily." 

"  I  can  tell  you  little,"   Mrs.   Patterson  replied 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  17 

with  an  emphasizing  nod  of  her  head.  "  I  heard 
nothing  and  saw  nothing.  All  I  know  is  that  I  was 
struck  from  behind  and  was  unconscious  until  I 
opened  my  eyes  and  found  Fred  bending  over  me." 

"  You  were  struck  from  behind!  "  Quincy  ejacu- 
lated. "  You  are  sure  of  that?  " 

"  Positive,  sir."  Another  nod  of  the  head  ac- 
companied the  statement. 

"  And  how  were  you  sitting?  Were  you  facing 
the  table  or  turned  sideways  to  it  ?  " 

"  I  was  facing  the  table.  I  always  sit  that  way 
when  I  read  because  the  drop  lamp  is  so  high  it 
reflects  better  on  my  book  than  when  I  am  turned 
from  it.  Fred  says  I  should  turn  my  back  to  it  as 
he  does,  but  you  will  notice  that  he  wears  glasses 
while  I  don't,"  she  concluded  with  a  merry  little 
laugh. 

Quincy  smiled  silently,  but  seemed  satisfied  with 
the  result  of  his  questioning,  for  he  turned  at  once 
to  Hemenway. 

"  Are  you  able  to  recall  the  facts  preceding  the 
blow  which  rendered  you  unconscious?  "  he  inquired. 

"  Nothing  of  value,"  was  the  immediate  reply. 
"  Like  my  grandmother  I  neither  heard  nor  saw 
anything,  for  I  was  too  much  occupied  with  my 
work  to  think  of  aught  else." 

"  May  I  inquire  what  you  were  working  on?  " 

The  man  hesitated  for  a  moment,  but  at  last  re- 


18     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

sponded :  "  Certainly,  although  I  hardly  see  how  it 
can  'have  any  bearing  on  the  case.  I  am  involved 
in  a  most  important  law  case  which  has  been  in 
litigation  for  more  than  a  year  and  which  is  now 
coming  up  for  settlement  within  a  week.  The  case 
involves  some  real  estate  which  is  at  present  my 
property,  and  whidh  is  claimed  by  a  corporation 
which  has  been  formed  for  the  purpose  of  booming 
certain  land  of  which  mine  is  the  keystone.  With- 
out it  their  company  is  worthless.  I  am  frank  to 
say  that  there  is  some  foundation  for  their  claims, 
although  I  think  that  by  every  degree  of  right  the 
land  belongs  to  me.  I  was  at  work  over  titles  and 
maps  in  connection  with  it  at  the  time  when  I  was 
assaulted.  So  deeply  was  I  interested  in  the  work 
that  I  hardly  -think  I  would  have  noted  an  earth- 
quake." 

"  There  is  nothing  about  those  papers  that  would 
tempt  the  other  side  of  this  case  to  steal  them,  is 
there  ?  "  Quincy  inquired  sharply. 

"  No,  not  a  thing.  They  possess  duplicates  of 
the  very  papers  I  was  working  over  and  would  not 
have  been  in  the  least  interested  in  the  possession 
of  mine.  Furthermore,  even  had  the  company  de- 
sired to  secure  my  papers,  of  what  advantage  would 
it  have  been  to  them  to  assault  my  grandmother  in 
the  manner  you  have  noted?  She  had  no  papers, 
nor  information,  concerning  the  matter.  And,  above 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  19 

all,  had  it  been  the  agent  of  that  company  who  com- 
mitted these  attacks,  he  would  have  had  a  definite 
purpose  in  view,  such  as  the  stealing  of  the  papers, 
and  I  am  certain  that  not  a  single  thing  is  missing, 
either  here  or  at  my  office.  No,  gentlemen,  we  must 
look  in  some  other  direction  for  the  assailant.  That, 
to  me,  is  very  evident." 

"  What  is  the  name  of  that  real  estate  company, 
Mr.  Hemenway  ?  "  Quincy  asked. 

"  The  Lorillard  Realty  Corporation,"  Hemenway 
replied.  "  Peter  Lorillard  is  its  president  and  prin- 
cipal stockholder.  But,  as  I  said,  you  may  rest  as- 
sured that  they  had  nothing  to  gain  by  such  methods 
as  these." 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  understand,"  Quincy  remarked  im- 
patiently. "  I  wish,  however,  to  get  hold  of  every 
possible  clue  in  connection  with  this  affair.  You 
have  no  enemies  who  would  be  likely  to  use  such 
methods  as  have  been  employed  ?  " 

"  None,  so  far  as  I  know.  Had  the  affair  ended 
with  the  assault  on  me  at  the  office  I  should  un- 
doubtedly 'have  set  it  down  to  an  attack  by  possible 
enemies,  or  to  an  assault  with  robbery  for  a  motive, 
thinking  that  the  man  might  in  some  way  have 
been  frightened  away  before  having  time  in  which  to 
complete  the  robbery.  This  second  assault,  how- 
ever, seems  to  do  away  with  that  possibility.  These 
things  cannot  be  the  result  of  a  coincidence,  gentle- 


20    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

men.  They  must  be  in  some  way  connected,  al- 
though in  what  way  I  am  free  to  confess  I  do  not 
know." 

"  You  are  still  at  work  on  your  law  case?  " 

"  Oh,  yes.  It  is  very  important,  and  I  cannot 
neglect  it,  even  with  such  occurrences  as  these  taking 
place." 

Quincy  had  nothing  to  say  for  a  few  moments; 
but  was  evidently  thinking  deeply.  "  I  believe," 
he  remarked  at  last,  "  that  I  must  once  more  examine 
the  sitting-room.  Will  you  accompany  me,  Mr. 
Hemenway?  " 

Hemenway  readily  assented,  and  was  half-way  to 
the  door  before  the  voice  of  his  grandmother 
arrested  him.  "  Wait  a  moment,  Fred,"  she  called. 
"  I  want  to  go,  too.  I  want  to  watch  all  that  is 
going  on,"  she  added  with  a  smile. 

Hemenway  instantly  stopped  and,  returning,  put 
his  grandmother's  arm  through  his  and  conducted 
her  toward  the  stairway,  the  others  following  be- 
hind. When  the  old  lady  had  been  comfortably 
seated,  the  investigation  of  the  room  was  re- 
newed. 

Quincy  walked  at  once  to  the  window,  which  he 
again  examined  with  great  care.  "  Gates,"  he  said 
at  last,  "  come  here  a  moment.  I  want  a  snapshot 
of  the  thumb  print  on  this  window." 

Gates  strode  across  the  room  with  interest  writ- 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  21 

ten  large  on  his  face.  "  That  isn't  the  same  thumb 
print !  "  he  exclaimed,  after  a  momentary  glance. 

"  That's  why  I  want  a  photograph  of  it,"  Quincy 
blandly  answered  him. 

Gates  seemed  unsatisfied  with  the  remark  and  the 
lack  of  information  it  contained,  but  he  readily  rec- 
ognized the  importance  of  Quincy's  discovery,  and 
at  once  busied  himself  with  his  camera.  He  carefully 
dusted  the  pane  about  the  print  and  made  two  ex- 
posures, turning  questioningly  to  Quincy  when  he 
had  finished. 

"  Now,"  Quincy  said,  "  I  want  your  camera  for 
a  few  minutes." 

The  camera  was  at  once  handed  to  him,  and  with 
it  he  retraced  his  steps  to  the  table,  where  he  mi- 
nutely studied  the  small  mirror. 

"  When  you  photographed  that  thumb  print, 
Gates,  by  what  part  did  you  hold  the  mirror?  "  he 
asked. 

"  By  the  very  tip  end  of  the  handle."  Gates  was 
plainly  on  pins  and  needles  through  curiosity  at  the 
turn  events  were  taking,  but  he  asked  no  ques- 
tions. 

Quincy  rested  the  mirror  against  a  pile  of  books 
and  busied  himself  in  front  of  it  for  several  minutes. 
He  first  tried  the  light  from  one  direction,  and  then 
from  another,  all  the  time  whistling  softly  under  his 
breath.  At  the  end  of  fifteen  minutes  the  fruit  of 


22    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

his  efforts  consisted  of  three  exposures  with  the 
camera  and  several  badly  puzzled  companions,  but 
the  companions  were  destined  to  remain  in  their 
puzzled  state. 

"  Now,  Gates/'  he  remarked,  with  a  satisfied  smile 
as  he  carefully  replaced  the  mirror  and  returned 
the  camera,  "  I  think  we  have  discovered  very  nearly 
all  that  is  to  be  found  here.  We  must  now  go  where 
we  may  be  able  to  run  across  other  clues.  Perhaps, 
Mr.  Hemenway,  we  shall  call  at  your  office  later  in 
the  day,  but  that  is  a  decided  uncertainty." 

He  courteously  took  leave  of  Mrs.  Patterson, 
jerked  his  head  imperatively  at  Gates,  and  quietly 
followed  Hemenway  toward  the  front  door.  His 
first  step,  when  once  outside  the  house,  was  to  push 
open  the  gate  of  the  areaway  and  to  stare  specula- 
tively  up  at  the  window  of  the  room  from  which 
they  had  just  come. 

"  The  man  who  forced  that  lock  and  climbed 
•through  the  window  must  have  been  decidedly  ac- 
tive, Gates,"  he  remarked,  still  measuring  the  dis- 
tance with  his  eye.  "  It  would  require  considerable 
skill  to  climb  up  that  waterspout  and  then  to  crawl 
out  along  the  ledge;  and  yet  that,  I  think,  must 
have  been  the  mode  of  entrance  employed.  Well, 
come  on,  we  have  work  elsewhere,"  and  he  faced 
sharply  about,  leaving  the  question  of.  the  mode  of 
entrance  for  future  consideration. 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  23 

"  Now,  Gates,"  Quincy  continued,  after  a  pro- 
tracted spell  of  silence,  "  I  don't  think  that  we  shall 
be  able  to  do  much  actual  work  before  evening. 
I  have  a  few  minor  matters  which  I  wish  to 
consider,  but  that  portion  of  the  work  I  can 
best  do  alone.  Do  you  know  Tim  McMaihon's 
saloon  over  in  the  West  End?  " 

"  Sure,"  Gates  responded,  fresh  interest  showing 
in  his  face.  "  I  was  on  that  beat  a  year,  and  got  my 
first  experience  as  a  cop  over  there.  But  what  about 
Tim?" 

"  Oh,  there  is  nothing  in  particular  that  I  wish 
to  say  about  Tim,  it  is  his  saloon  that  I  am  interested 
in.  Would  they  know  you  over  there  if  you  should 
show  up  ?  " 

"  Tim  would,  but  he's  pretty  straight  himself,  no 
matter  what  his  patrons  may  be.  He'd  keep  quiet 
if  I  tipped  him  the  wink." 

"  Good.  I  want  you  to  meet  me  there  at  eight 
o'clock  tonight.  Go  into  Tim's  back  room  and,  if 
I  am  not  there,  wait  for  me." 

Gates  grinned.  "  Say,"  he  remarked,  "  you 
seem  to  be  tolerably  familiar  with  that  place." 

"  It  was  one  of  my  sociology  laboratories," 
Quincy  assured  him.  "  Tim  and  I  are  old  cro- 
nies." 

"  I  suppose,"  Gat^s  continued,  after  a  short  pause, 
"that  you  know  what  you  are  doing,  but  I'll  swear 


24    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

that  it  gets  past  me.  Are  you  on  a  particular  trail, 
or  are  you  trusting  to  luck  ?  " 

"  I  am  following  a  definite  path,"  Quincy  assured 
him.  "  Meet  me  at  Tim's  according  to  instructions 
and  you  may  see  something  interesting.  Oh,  before 
we  separate  for  the  day,  I  want  one  more  thing  from 
you.  Lend  me  your  thumb  a  minute." 

As  Gates  wonderingly  complied,  Quincy  carefully 
inked  the  thumb  with  a  fountain  pen  and  made  an 
impression  of  the  print  on  the  back  of  an  old  en- 
velope. He  then  made  an  impression  of  his  own 
thumb,  carefully  examined  both  to  make  certain 
that  they  were  perfect,  and  placed  the  envelope  in 
an  inner  pocket.  Next,  with  Gates'  permission,  he 
removed  the  film  from  the  inspector's  camera  and, 
pocketing  it,  together  with  photographic  copies  of 
the  two  thumb  prints  appearing  in  the  case,  he  bade 
the  inspector  a  smiling  farewell  and  disappeared  in 
the  direction  of  his  own  office. 

He  did  not  at  once  return  to  his  office,  however, 
but  made  his  way  to  a  small  sporting  goods  shop 
which  made  a  specialty  of  developing  plates  and 
films  for  amateur  photographers.  There  he  perched 
on  a  counter  for  a  long  time,  while  his  own  films 
were  being  developed  and  printed.  With  the  prints 
ait  last  in  his  possession,  he  retired  into  his  office 
and  there  spent  several  hours  studying  and  compar- 
ing the  various  thumb  prints  in  the  small  collection. 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  25 

At  times  he  scowled  fiercely,  as  though  the  matter 
were  not  untangling  to  his  complete  satisfaction; 
but  again  and  again  a  silent  smile  broke  through 
the  scowl,  and  when  at  last  he  rose  from  his  hours 
of  study  it  was  with  the  air  of  one  who  had  at  least 
partially  solved  a  knotty  problem.  He  stretched 
himself  with  many  grunts  and  strainings  of  his 
muscles,  yawned  wearily  and  stared  out  of  his  win- 
dow at  the  buildings  in  the  vicinity.  He  finally 
reached  for  his  hat,  but  even  as  his  fingers  touched 
its  brim,  he  was  halted  by  the  ringing  of  the  tele- 
phone bell.  Picking  up  the  'phone  he  called  lazily 
into  it. 

"  Hello.  This  you,  Sawyer  ?  "  came  an  excited 
voice  from  the  other  end  of  the  wire.  "  Say,  this 
is  Gates  talking.  The  fat's  kicked  over  for  fair 
and  the  deuce  is  to  pay.  Hemenway  has  been  kid- 
napped or  spirited  away  somewhere ! " 

"  Kidnapped !  Nonsense !  "  Quincy  exclaimed. 
"  It  isn't  possible  to  kidnap  a  grown  man  right  in 
broad  daylight  in  a  city  the  size  of  this." 

"  But  it's  been  done,  I  tell  you,"  Gates  persisted. 
"  The  old  lady  just  called  me  up  to  tell  me  about 
it.  It  seems  the  door  bell  rang  a  short  time  ago  and 
he  answered  the  bell.  When  he  didn't  come  back 
for  a  long  time  she  sent  the  servant  to  find  out 
what  was  keeping  him,  as  she's  naturally  a  little 
nervous.  The  servant  found  the  front  door  open, 


26     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

but  there  was  no  sign  of  Hemenway  anywhere.  He 
had  disappeared  completely." 

"  He  stepped  out  somewhere  with  whoever 
wanted  to  see  him,"  Quincy  suggested. 

"  Stepped  out  nothing!  His  hat  hangs  where  he 
left  it  last  night,  and  he  didn't  even  have  a  coat  on. 
He  wouldn't  be  stepping  out  in  his  shirt-sleeves  if 
he  intended  to  be  gone  long.  The  old  lady  waited 
half  an  hour  more  for  him  to  show  up  and  then, 
when  he  didn't  come,  she  had  the  servant  make 
inquiries.  A  fellow  in  the  next  house  said  that  he 
had  seen  a  closed  carriage  drive  up  to  Hemenway's 
door  and  saw  two  men  get  out  of  it.  He  didn't 
pay  any  particular  attention  to  them,  and  didn't 
notice  the  carriage  again,  until  just  as  it  was  dri- 
ving away.  Then,  he  says,  he  caught  a  glimpse  of 
a  fellow  without  a  coat  in  the  carriage  and  that  one 
of  the  others  seemed  to  be  holding  his  hand  over 
that  man's  mouth.  That  don't  look  as  though  he 
went  away  of  his  own  accord,  does  it?" 

Quincy  gave  a  low  whistle  at  the  news  and  stood 
for  several  seconds  uncertainly  tapping  on  the 
'phone.  Then  his  air  of  assurance  returned  and  he 
replied  sharply :  "  Never  mind  about  this,  Gates ; 
you  carry  out  our  former  program  and  meet  me  at 
Tim  McMahon's  tonight.  I'm  going  out  to  look 
for  Hemenway,  but  the  chances  are  against  my  find- 
ing him  this  afternoon,  even  though  I  think  I  know 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  27 

what  has  become  of  him.  You  can  safely  tell  the  old 
lady  that  no  harm  will  come  to  him,  but  beyond 
that  I  can't  say  anything  yet.  Be  sure  and  meet  me 
at  Tim's." 

The  receiver  clicked  back  on  the  hook,  and  Quincy 
whirled  quickly  toward  a  spacious  closet  at  one  side 
of  his  office. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  a  disreputable-appearing 
tatterdemalion  slouched  into  one  of  the  most  noto- 
rious dives  in  the  West  End.  The  man,  after  a 
quick  glance  about  the  room,  timidly  approached 
the  bar ;  but  the  forbidding  frown  of  the  bartender 
seemed  to  alter  his  purpose,  for  he  turned  abruptly 
and  sank  into  a  chair  near  one  of  the  billiard  tables. 
A  game  was  in  progress,  and  for  many  minutes  his 
heavy-lidded  eyes  disinterestedly  followed  the  suc- 
cess of  one  after  another  of  the  players.  Nobody 
paid  particular  notice  to  him  and  he  returned  the 
courtesy,  his  eyes  being  fixed  on  the  balls  rather 
than  on  the  players.  At  last,  however,  the  clerk  in 
charge  of  the  tables  approached  in  a  leisurely 
fashion  and  the  eyes  of  the  loafer  gleamed  momen- 
tarily with  sudden  interest. 

"  Rabbit,"  he  whispered  softly,  as  the  young  clerk 
stood  before  him. 

At  the  sound  of  the  name  the  man  turned  sharply 
and  stared  with  open  suspicion.  "  Well,  what  do 
youse  want  ?  "  he  demanded,  approaching  slowly. 


28    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

The  man  indicated  a  chair  at  his  side.  "  Sit  down 
a  minute/'  he  invited. 

'Rabbit  somewhat  reluctantly  complied,  still  keep- 
ing his  eyes  fixed  suspiciously  on  his  companion. 
"  Say,  look  a-here,"  he  growled,  "  I  ain't  settin' 
up  no  drinks  today.  Get  that  into  your  bean." 

A  shade  of  amusement  crossed  the  ragged  man's 
face  and,  with  a  look  of  silent  warning,  he  pushed 
back  his  hat,  revealing  his  whole  face  for  a  mo- 
ment before  returning  the  hat  to  its  original 
position. 

"  Mr.  Sawyer !  "  Rabbit  gasped  in  amazement. 
"  I  ain't  seen  youse  since  you  was  in  college  and  I 
was  a  pin  boy  down  to  O'Neil's.  Say,  are  youse 
down  and  out  ?  "  he  asked  with  ready  sympathy, 
correcting  himself  almost  immediately.  "  Oh,  I 
know.  They  tells  me  youse  is  a  fly  one  now."  He 
asked  no  questions,  apparently  divining  the  fact  that 
his  part  was  to  answer  and  not  to  interrogate. 

"  Seen  Long  Tom  lately?  "  Quincy  inquired  in  a 
low  voice,  after  an  interval  of  silence. 

"  So  it's  him,  is  it?  "  Rabbit  muttered  in  a  voice 
equally  low.  "  Say,  this  won't  be  gettin'  me  into 
trouble,  will  ft?" 

"  No,  you're  safe  enough,"  Quincy  assured  him. 
"  You  won't  be  snitching  because  Tom  isn't  hiding 
out  yet." 

"  That's  so,  too,"  Rabbit  remarked  thoughtfully. 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  29 

"  Well,  him  and  Ike  McKechnie  was  in  here  this 
mornin'.  I  ain't  seen  'em  since.  What's  their 
job?" 

"  So  Ike's  in  it,  is  he?  "  Quincy  soliloquized.  "  I 
suspected  as  much.  I'm  not  dead  sure  of  their  job, 
Rabbit,  but  I  have  a  very  good  idea.  But,  remem- 
ber this.  If  I  don't  tell  you  that  they're  wanted, 
nor  why,  they  can't  blame  you  for  what  may  happen 
to  them.  Have  they  been  around  here  often  of 
late?" 

"  I  ain't  seen  'em  before  for  two  weeks.  I  guess 
they've  been  hangin'  out  down  to  O'Neil's  or  over 
to  Tim  McMahon's.  They've  both  been  havin'  lots 
of  the  ready  lately,  and  I  guess  this  joint  got  too 
cheap  for  'em." 

"  What  did  they  do  in  here  this  morning?  Drink 
or  talk  business  ?  " 

"  Talked  business,  I  guess.  They  was  over  at 
one  of  the  tables  a  long  time  punishin'  a  pint  or 
two  of  booze.  I  didn't  go  near  'em  because  I  never 
had  no  use  for  Long  Tom,  and  Ike  never  had  no 
use  for  me.  They  didn't  look  like  they  wanted 
company,  anyhow." 

Quincy's  hand  disappeared  into  the  breast  of  his 
ragged  coat.  When  it  once  more  became  visible  a 
bill  peeped  from  between  two  of  his  fingers,  and  on 
the  corner  of  the  bill  was  plainly  to  be  seen  a  figure 
five.  Rabbit's  eyes  shone  hungrily  as  they  rested  on 


30     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

the  bill,  and  his  face  took  on  an  added  look  of 
interest. 

"  That's  yours,"  Quincy  informed  him,  "  if  you 
will  find  out  for  certain  whether  or  not  Ike  and  Tom 
have  hired  any  rooms  up-stairs,  and,  if  so,  for  how 
long." 

Rabbit's  long  limbs  were  endowed  with  all  the 
speed  of  the  animal  which  had  lent  him  its  name, 
but  he  was  too  wise  to  exhibit  his  speed  at  the 
present  moment  and,  in  that  way,  arouse  suspicion 
by  too  great  haste.  He  arose  in  leisurely  fashion 
and  sauntered  carelessly  about  the  room,  gradually 
drawing  nearer  to  the  bar.  At  length,  he  reached 
his  goal  and,  leaning  lazily  across  it,  carelessly  ad- 
dressed a  short  sentence  to  the  bartender.  He 
talked  in  low  tones  with  that  worthy  individual  for 
some  time  before  again  taking  up  his  circuitous 
route  among  the  tables.  At  length  he  again  sank 
into  the  chair  at  Quincy' s  side. 

"  They've  got  one  room,"  he  whispered  through 
the  corner  of  his  mouth,  his  head  all  the  while 
turned  in  the  opposite  direction.  "  It's  hired  for  a 
week.  They've  got  a  friend  in  it  now,  but  the  bar- 
tender wouldn't  tell  me  when  he  came,  and  says  he 
don't  know  who  the  guy  is." 

"  Good,"  Quincy  whispered,  as  the  money  surrep- 
titiously changed  hands.  "  Keep  your  eyes  open  and 
there  may  be  another  fiver  coming  to  you  later  on." 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  31 

Rabbit  again  drifted  out  among  the  tables,  while 
Quincy  resumed  his  attitude  of  bleary  somnolence. 
Finally  he,  too,  arose  unsteadily  and  approached 
the  bar.  With  many  sage  shakes  of  his  head,  and 
numerous  low-voiced  comments  to  the  forbidding 
bartender,  he  searched  through  all  his  pockets  until, 
with  almost  superhuman  endeavour,  he  had  accumu- 
lated the  sum  of  ten  cents.  He  laid  the  money  on 
the  bar,  poured  out  a  glass  of  the  vile  whisky  and 
then,  when  the  bartender  turned  to  replace  the  bottle, 
dumped  the  contents  of  the  glass  on  the  floor.  That 
accomplished,  he  made  his  way  out  of  the  place 
ostentatiously  wiping  his  lips  and  giving  every  in- 
dication of  satisfied  thirst. 

Once  outside,  he  turned  sharply  from  the  back 
street  on  which  the  saloon  was  located  and  hastily 
made  his  way  to  the  nearest  corner.  There  he 
boarded  a  car  and  was  whirled  away  to  the  centre 
of  the  city,  where,  once  again  in  his  office,  he  re- 
moved his  ragged  clothes  and  resumed  his  normal 
appearance. 

"  Let  me  see,"  he  muttered  thoughtfully,  as  he 
dropped  into  a  chair.  "  I  wonder  what  Ike  has  been 
up  to  of  late  years.  I've  somewhat  lost  track  of 
him  since  I've  been  away."  He  picked  up  a  city 
directory  and  -hastily  scanned  its  pages.  "  Yes,  here 
we  find  him.  Jeremiah  McKechnie,  attorney-at- 
law.  So  he  hasn't  been  debarred  at  any  rate  and, 


32    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

judging  from  the  location  of  his  office,  he  must  be 
doing  very  well  financially.  He  has  brains,  cer- 
tainly, or  he  would  never  have  emerged  from  his 
existence  as  a  keeper  of  a  pawn-shop,  during  which 
previous  period,  I  suppose,  he  accumulated  the 
name  *  Ike.'  "  He  paused  thoughtfully  for  a  time, 
and  then  turned  to  a  business  gazetteer  of  the  city, 
a  page  of  which  seemed  to  hold  his  attention  for  a 
long  period.  At  last  he  arose  and  shook  his 
shoulders  impatiently,  glancing  at  his  watch  and 
then  out  into  the  deepening  twilight.  "  Well,"  he 
muttered,  "  everything  is  now  ready  and  the  stage 
is  set.  It  is  only  necessary  to  await  the  raising 
of  the  curtain." 

He  walked  at  a  leisurely  pace  out  of  his  office 
and  to  the  nearest  restaurant  where  he  seated  him- 
self for  a  comfortable  meal.  The  waiter  bowed  cor- 
dially, for  Quincy,  both  during  and  since  his  college 
days,  had  made  friends  with  men  in  all  walks  of 
life,  a  fact  which  was  of  ever  increasing  value  to 
him  in  his  present  profession. 

"  Saw  an  old  friend  of  yours  in  here  today,  Mr. 
Sawyer,"  die  waiter  informed  him  while  busily 
laying  the  table.  u  Leastwise  he  was  an  old  ac- 
quaintance, but  perhaps  you  wouldn't  call  him  a 
friend." 

"  Who  was  it  ?  "  Quincy  inquired  with  an  inter- 
ested smile. 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  33 

"  Ike  McKechnie.  He  was  in  here  for  lunch. 
Ike  seems  to  be  getting  quite  up  in  the  world  of 
late,"  the  waiter  concluded,  as  he  hurried  away  with 
Quincy's  order. 

At  the  information  Quincy  smiled  broadly.  Un- 
consciously he  seemed  to  have  been  trailing  Ike  Mc- 
Kechnie all  day  and  very  closely,  a  fact  which  was 
of  much  interest  to  him. 

"  Was  Ike  alone  ?  "  he  inquired,  when  the  waiter 
had  returned. 

"  No,"  was  the  reply.  "  He  had  some  sfotft  old 
gent  with  him  and  they  seemed  to  be  on  extra  good 
terms  from  the  way  they  talked  and  laughed.  The 
old  gent  looked  like  ready  money  and  heaps  of  it, 
too." 

Quincy  made  no  further  inquiries  nor  comments 
on  the  subject,  devoting  himself  soberly  to  his  meal. 
This  piece  of  information  added  nothing  to  the 
structure  of  evidence  he  had  erected,  but  it  served 
to  a  marked  degree  to  substantiate  his  theories  and 
to  make  him  more  certain  than  ever  that  he  was  on 
the  right  track.  He  then  dismissed  the  entire  matter 
from  his  mind  while  he  finished  his  dinner  and, 
when  at  last  he  arose  and  sauntered  out,  carelessly 
puffing  a  cigar,  an  observer  would  have  thought  him 
the  last  person  to  be  intimately  connected  with  a 
deep  and  complicated  problem. 

Tim    McMahon's   saloon    blazed    with   light   as 


34    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

Quincy  strolled  nonchalantly  in  at  the  appointed 
hour.  The  saloon  was  of  a  somewhat  better  class 
than  its  neighbours  and  catered  to  a  trade  with 
greater  resources  than  might  be  discovered  in  the 
ordinary  West  End  saloon  patron.  Ward  politi- 
cians, small  grafters  and  the  general  run  of  muni- 
cipal hangers-on  made  the  place  their  headquarters, 
and  to  it,  for  that  reason,  practically  every  member 
of  the  ward's  political  representation  made  his  way 
at  one  time  or  another  during  the  year.  Minor 
plots  against  the  city's  treasury  were  laid  there  al- 
most nigMy,  and  it  was  a  poor  week  indeed  when  a 
small  portion  of  that  same  treasury  did  next,  by 
means  of  some  subtle  pretext,  find  its  way  into 
Tim's  coffers.  Gambling  was  allowed  "  on  the 
quiet,"  but  rows  of  any  sort  were  strictly  pro- 
hibited, for  Tim  was  exceedingly  jealous  of  his 
saloon's  reputation  and,  as  the  result,  the  man  who 
"  started  anything  "  was  in  grave  danger  of  being 
immediately  propelled  to  the  middle  of  the  side- 
walk with  forceful  energy. 

As  Quincy  picked  his  way  through  the  small 
crowd,  the  genial  face  of  Tim  -himself  appeared 
from  around  the  lower  corner  of  the  bar.  Seeing 
Quincy  he  advanced  with  outstretched  hand  and 
ready  smile,  in  memory  of  Quincy's  "  laboratory 
days,"  many  of  which  had  been  spent  within  those 
walls  while  the  young  man  absorbed,  from  his  sur 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  35 

roundings,  lore  of  political  forays  and  gained  a 
speaking  acquaintance  with  every  notorious  charac- 
ter in  the  district.  Tim  jerked  his  head  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  back  room  as  his  hand  met  Quincy's 
in  friendly  clasp. 

"  Gates  is  in  there,"  he  growled  in  his  thick, 
rumbling  voice.  "Say,  what's  up,  anyhow?"  he 
continued  anxiously.  "  You  fellows  ain't  going  to 
start  trouble  in  my  place,  are  you?  " 

"  Not  unless  the  trouble  starts  on  the  other  side 
and  you  refuse  to  back  us,  Tim,"  Quincy  assured 
him  with  a  meaning  glance.  "  We're  after  two  of 
your  best  customers,  but  they  are  to  blame,  because 
they've  used  your  back  room  as  a  meeting-place 
where  they've  planned  crooked  work  that's  outside 
the  regular."  To  Tim  and  his  confreres  any  plot 
against  the  city  as  a  whole  was  "  the  regular " 
and  was  allowed,  but  plots  against  individuals  were 
firmly  tabooed. 

Tim's  eyes  gleamed  angrily.  "  They're  trying 
to  put  my  place  in  bad  with  the  bulls,  are  they  ?  " 
he  growled  in  a  voice  indicative  of  rising  wrath. 

"  They  are  in  a  fair  way  to  do  so,"  Quincy  as- 
sured him ;  "  but,  if  you  will  give  us  your  backing 
when  we  need  it,  the  bulls  will  have  nothing  to  do 
with  this  case,  with  the  exception  of  Gates,  and 
he's  a  friend  of  yours.  They'll  yell  blue  murder, 
Tim,  when  we  land  on  them;  but  we  have  the 


36    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

goods  and  we  can  prove  it  to  you  before  we're 
through." 

"  I'll  take  your  word  for  it,  Sawyer,"  Tim  an- 
swered, "especially  if  you'll  s'how  me  the  goods 
afterward.  Now,  who  are  the  men  and  what  do 
you  want  me  to  do  ?  " 

"  The  men,"  Quincy  answered  slowly,  "  are  Ike 
McKechnie  and  Long  Tom."  Tim  whistled,  but 
said  nothing.  "  When  they  come  in  I  want  you  to 
tip  us  off.  We'll  get  them  into  one  of  the  private 
rooms  and  then  we'll  ring  for  drinks.  When  we 
do  that  you  are  to  answer  the  bell  yourself  and 
then  we'll  tell  you  what  else  to  do.  Has  anyone 
spoken  for  Room  Eight?  No?  All  right,  then. 
We'll  take  them  to  Room  Eight,  and,  if  you  do  your 
part,  you'll  have  no  trouble  over  this,  and  you'll 
get  your  place  free  of  a  pretty  pair  of  crooks." 

Tim  nodded  emphatic  agreement  with  the  plan 
and  Quincy  left  him,  making  his  way  into  the  back 
room  where  Gates  was  impatiently  waiting.  Gates 
glanced  up  questioningly  as  Quincy  approached. 
"  Everything  going  well  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  Excellently,"  Quincy  (assured  him,  dropping 
into  a  chair  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  table.  "  Our 
men  will  undoubtedly  put  in  an  appearance  here 
later  on  in  the  evening." 

Gates  raised  his  eyebrows.  "  Our  men  ? "  he 
repeated. 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  37 

Quincy  nodded.  "  Gates,  do  you  know  Ike  Mc- 
Kechnie  and  Long  Tom  ?  " 

Gates  shook  his  head  negatively  after  several 
moments  of  careful  reflection.  "  I  don't  remember 
ever  having  heard  of  either  of  them,"  he  said. 

"  So  much  the  better.  They  know  me,  which  is 
bad ;  but  I  think  that  we  shall  have  little  trouble  in 
overcoming  that  difficulty.  Tim  will  tip  us  off 
when  they  appear  outside  and  I  can  point  them  out 
to  you  when  they  come  in  here,  as  they  are  certain 
to  do.  Now,  the  idea  is  this.  I  am  drunk,  hope- 
lessly drunk,  and  we  want  to  play  poker.  The 
chances  are  strong  that  they'll  remember  me  as  easy 
money,  and  they'll  be  ready  enough  to  play,  provided 
their  suspicions  are  not  aroused.  If  their  suspicions 
do  become  aroused,  they'll  agree  to  play  anyway  be- 
cause they  won't  dare  do  anything  else.  Your  job 
is  to  round  them  up  and  get  them  interested.  Then 
we  will  all  go  to  Room  Eight,  —  don't  forget  that 
number,  —  and,  when  we  are  once  there,  I  imagine 
that  developments  will  follow  each  other  very 
rapidly.  You  have  the  plan  correctly?  " 

Gates  nodded  quietly  and  Quincy  sank  back  in  an 
excellent  assumption  of  a  drunken  stupor. 

For  perhaps  half  an  hour  they  remained  in  their 
positions,  silent  save  for  the  occasional  maudlin 
remarks  from  Quincy,  thrown  out  from  time  to 
time  for  the  benefit  of  the  various  patrons  of  the 


38    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

-saloon  with  which  the  place  was  filling.  At  last 
Tim's  face  appeared  in  the  doorway,  and  his  glance 
flashed  quickly  over  the  assemblage  until  it  rested 
on  Gates.  He  nodded  meaningly  and  then  stared  in 
'anxious  astonishment  at  Quincy,  but  a  cautious 
wink  from  Gates  reassured  him  and  his  head  disap- 
peared. Hardly  had  the  door  closed  after  him  be- 
fore it  reopened  to  admit  the  eagerly  awaited  pair, 
Long  Tom  and  Lawyer  Ike  McKechnie. 

Gates  sized  them  up  as  they  advanced,  and  men- 
tally classified  each  before  they  had  reached  the 
middle  of  the  room.  In  McKechnie  he  saw  a  man 
whom  nature  had  evidently  intended  to  be  slim,  but 
who  had  so  far  improved  on  nature's  designs  as  to 
become  remarkably  fat  and  florid  as  to  features, 
although  his  body  still  maintained  its  original  gang- 
ling formation.  His  face  was  filled  with  egotistical 
pomposity  and  the  condescending  manner  with 
which  he  addressed  his  companion  from  time  to 
time  showed  beyond  doubt  that,  in  his  own  mind, 
at  least,  Lawyer  McKechnie  was  a  figure  to  be 
reckoned  with.  Long  Tom,  on  the  other  hand,  out- 
wardly possessed  neither  egotism  nor  self-assertion. 
An  exceptionally  tall  man,  and  one  whose  extreme 
slimness  made  his  height  seem  even  greater,  he 
carried  with  him  an  air  of  furtiveness  and  foxlike 
cunning  that  would  be  sufficient  at  first  glance  to 
arouse  the  suspicions  of  even  the  most  trusting  of 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  39 

men.  He  appeared  to  rely  on  McKechnie  as  on 
a  guide  or  commander,  and  implicitly  obeyed 
every  suggestion  emanating  from  that  worthy 
source. 

As  the  men  cast  about  them  for  a  vacant  table, 
Gates  arose  and  nonchalantly  approached  them, 
both  men  halting,  with  eyes  fixed  questioningly 
and  expectantly  upon  him  as  he  came  up  with 
them. 

"  My  friend  and  I,"  he  said  with  a  backward  jerk 
of  his  thumb  in  Quincy's  direction,  "  want  a  little 
game.  We've  engaged  a  room  and  have  been 
waiting  for  someone  to  come  in  who  looked  as  if 
he  could  play  a  gentleman's  game.  Are  you  in  on 
it?" 

McKechnie  grinned  uncertainly  and  shifted  his 
position  slightly  so  as  to  obtain  a  better  view  of 
Quincy.  "  For  the  love  of  Mike !  "  he  exclaimed,  as 
his  eye  fell  on  the  silent  figure  at  the  table.  "  It's 
young  Sawyer  and  as  full  as  a  goat."  He  fixed  his 
eyes  speculatively  on  Gates.  "  Sawyer  used  to 
carry  a  fair  roll,"  he  stated  meditatively. 

Gates  caught  the  implied  interrogation.  "  Be- 
lieve me,"  he  stated  emphatically,  "  Sawyer's  roll 
hasn't  diminished  any." 

McKechnie  grinned  in  secret  anticipation. 
"  We're  on,"  he  announced.  "  Where's  your 
room?  " 


40    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

After  much  shaking  and  many  protesting  groans 
and  growls  Quincy  was  at  last  imbued  with  suffi- 
cient interest  in  his  surroundings  to  climb  to  his 
feet  and  be  led,  leaning  heavily  on  Gates,  in  the  di- 
rection of  Room  Eight.  Once  there,  Gates  dropped 
him  unceremoniously  into  the  chair  nearest  the 
door  and  busied  himself  with  preparations  for  the 
game.  As  he  moved  and  talked,  however,  his 
watchful  eyes  were  continuously  roving  in  Quincy's 
direction,  where  they  were  at  last  rewarded  by  the 
sight  of  a  sharp  wink. 

"  Guess  we'd  better  start  right  by  having  some 
drinks  brought  up,  hadn't  we  ?  "  he  questioned,  the 
invitation  being  met  by  fervent  expressions  of  as- 
sent. In  accordance  with  the  evident  desire  of  the 
company,  therefore,  he  leaned  over  and  pressed  long 
on  the  button. 

To  the  surprise  of  Long  Tom  and  McKechnie 
it  was  Tim  McMahon,  himself,  who  answered  the 
summons,  and  he  further  added  to  their  surprise  by 
carefully  closing  the  door  as  he  entered  and  placing 
his  broad  back  against  it. 

"  What'll  you  have?  "  was  his  husky  greeting. 

Surprises  appeared  to  abound  in  that  particular 
room,  as  Long  Tom  and  McKechnie  were  about  to 
discover,  for,  hardly  had  Tim's  inquiry  been  made, 
before  Quincy  abruptly  emerged  from  his  lethargy 
and  sat  up,  fixing  his  eyes  on  McKechnie's  face. 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  41 

Suspicion  immediately  appeared  in  that  individual's 
eyes  and  his  hands  convulsively  grasped  the  edge 
of  the  table. 

"What  kind  of  a  plant  is  this?"  he  demanded 
savagely.  "  You  fellows  spring  your  game  quick, 
whatever  it  is." 

Quincy  laughed  softly  and  meaningly.  "  Our 
game,  Ike?"  he  inquired.  "You  surprise  me. 
Indeed  you  do."  He  half  rose,  and  leaned  across 
the  table,  as  he  continued,  but  the  smile  had  dis- 
appeared from  his  face,  leaving  in  its  place  a  look  of 
cold  accusation.  "  We're  playing  no  game,  Ike 
McKechnie,  as  you  are  about  to  discover.  I  am 
superseding  my  friend,  Inspector  Gates,  a  trifle,  but 
it  will  amount  to  the  same  thing  in  the  end.  Ike 
McKechnie,  I  arrest  you  in  the  name  of  the  Com- 
monwealth of  Massachusetts  on  :the  charge  of  ab- 
duction and  as  being  an  accessory  before  the  fact 
on  a  charge  of  murderous  assault.  Long  Tom,  I 
arrest  you  under  the  same  authority  on  the  charge 
of  abduction  and  of  assault  with  intent  to  kill,  the 
latter  charge  containing  two  counts. 

"  And  I,"  Gates  broke  in,  "  must  warn  you  that 
whatever  you  say  from  this  time  forth  may  be  used 
against  you  at  your  trial." 

For  a  moment  the  pair  stared  dumbly  in 
Quincy's  direction,  too  stupefied  to  move  or  speak; 
but  their  state  of  paralysis  lasted  only  momentarily. 


42     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

With  a  vicious  snarl  McKechnie  sprang  from  his 
chair  straight  on  Gates,  who,  taken  off  his  guard, 
fell  heavily  to  the  floor.  Long  Tom  was  no  whit 
behind  his  pal  in  readiness  and,  as  Quincy  grappled 
with  McKechnie,  Tom  plunged  in  behind,  getting 
a  strangle  hold  about  Quincy's  neck  and  bearing 
him  to  the  floor.  As  Quincy  fell  McKechnie  leaped 
back,  drew  a  revolver  and  turned  with  a  savage 
grunt  of  triumph  toward  McMahon.  If  he  had 
thoughts  of  over-awing  the  saloon  keeper  by  show 
of  arms,  however,  he  was  doomed  to  bitter  disap- 
pointment, for  Tim,  though  slow  of  movement, 
could  move  like  a  cyclone  when  once  he  got  under 
way. 

As  McKechnie's  revolver  whipped  into  view,  Tim, 
moving  with  the  irresistible  force  of  a  runaway 
express  train,  struck  him,  head-on,  and  the  two 
rolled  to  the  floor  amid  a  chaos  of  splintered  chairs 
and  overturned  furniture.  As  the  crash  of  the  fall 
sounded,  and  mingled  with  it  came  the  grunts  of 
McKechnie,  groaning  beneath  Tim's  massive  bulk, 
Long  Tom  suddenly  loosened  his  hold  on  Quincy 
and  turned  to  flee.  But  he  was  too  late.  Gates, 
having  regained  his  scattered  wits  during  the  few 
moments  occupied  by  the  short  conflict,  had  taken 
up  his  position  in  the  doorway,  and  Tom  found  him- 
self staring  into  the  barrel  of  a  business-like  re- 
volver. 


"  TIM    ...    STRUCK   HIM,   HEAD   ON. 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  43 

"  Better  quit  it,  Tom,"  Gates  advised  him  quietly. 
"  It's  all  over  now." 

Before  Long  Tom  could  make  up  his  own  mind 
as  to  his  step,  Gates'  muscular  arm  had  seized  him 
and  hurled  him  across  the  room  into  a  chair,  where 
he  sank  down  cowed  and  silent.  McKechnie  fol- 
lowed, propelled  by  a  vigorous  thrust  from  Tim, 
and  the  fight  for  freedom  ended  almost  as  abruptly 
as  it  had  begun. 

"  Look  here,  Tim,"  McKechnie  snarled,  at  last 
regaining  some  of  his  self-control.  "  Are  you  going 
to  stand  for  this?  Are  you  going  to  let  us  be 
pinched  on  any  such  fool  charge,  and  in  your  own 
place  ?  " 

"  Ah,  cheese !  "  was  Tim's  disgusted  retort.  "  A 
healthy  bunch  of  regard  you're  showin'  for  my  place 
all  of  a  sudden,  ain't  you?  Do  you  think  I'm  goin' 
to  butt  in  on  the  bulls  and  put  my  place  to  the 
everlastin'  bad  just  for  the  likes  of  you?  Not  by  a 
heap.  This  administration  ain't  none  too  friendly 
toward  me  as  things  is,  and  you  can  bet  your 
bottom  dollar  that  I  ain't  takin'  chances.  What'd 
you  go  to  work  and  get  my  place  mixed  up  in  this 
for,  anyway?  That's  what  I  want  to  know,"  he 
continued  savagely. 

McKechnie  subsided,  seemingly  too  overcome  to 
speak,  but  not  so  with  Long  Torn.  While  the  dis- 
cussion had  been  in  progress  he  had  hitched  him- 


44    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

self  about  until  he  -had  secured  an  open  passage 
between  his  chair  and  the  window.  With  a  leap  he 
cleared  the  chair  and  covered  half  the  distance  to  his 
desired  goal,  and  another  bound  took  him  to  the 
window  itself.  But  he  had  not  been  sufficiently 
cautious  in  his  original  movements,  for  every  fur- 
tive hitch  of  the  chair  had  been  noted  by  Quincy 
and,  as  Long  Tom  threw  himself  at  the  window 
ledge,  he  was  sharply  upset  and  hurled  struggling 
to  the  floor,  with  Quincy  astride  him.  Twist  and 
squirm  as  he  would,  his  arms  were  relentlessly 
borne  back  until  two  sharp  metallic  clicks  informed 
him  as  plainly  as  words  that  further  resistance 
would  be  useless.  As  he  struggled  to  his  feet  his 
eyes  fell  on  a  small  object  which  Quincy  held  in  his 
hand,  and,  in  spite  of  himself,  he  paled  visibly  at 
the  sight.  Quincy  stood  silently  regarding  the 
object,  an  expression  of  disgust  on  his  face.  Then, 
with  a  nauseated  shrug,  he  dropped  the  object  into 
his  own  pocket.  As  he  looked  up  into  Long  Tom's 
shifting  eyes,  however,  that  individual  shuddered 
violently  and  the  light  of  hope  appeared  to  have  ut- 
terly vanished  from  his  face. 

"  Handcuff  Ike,  Gates,"  came  Ouincy's  curt  com- 
mand, and  in  a  few  moments  McKechnie's  wrists 
were  adorned  with  rings  of  gleaming  steel. 

"  Now,"  Quincy  continued,  "  we  have  work  else- 
where for  the  time  being.  I  want  to  leave  these  men 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  45 

here,  Tim,  until  we  come  back."  Tim  nodded  as- 
sent to  the  proposition  and  glared  balefully  at  the 
prisoners.  "  You'll  make  certain  they  don't  es- 
cape while  we  are  gone  ?  "  Quincy  continued. 

"  Oh,  they  won't  escape,"  Tim  affirmed  grimly. 
"  I'll  sit  right  here  myself,  and  keep  'em  company 
until  you  get  back.  I  want  to  know  the  rest  of  this 
tale." 

"  Say,  Sawyer,"  Gates  protested  in  an  undertone, 
as  they  made  their  way  out  of  the  building. 
"  Aren't  we  taking  a  long  chance  in  arresting  these 
men?  Are  you  sure  of  your  ground?  " 

"  Absolutely,"  Quincy  replied  soberly.  "  I  was 
sure  of  it  from  the  first,  but  I  caught  Long  Tom 
with  the  goods  just  now  and  there  isn't  a  bit  of 
doubt  left.  I  lifted  a  little  object  from  his  pocket 
that  will  give  you  a  start  when  you  see  it." 

"Where  are  we  headed  for,  anyhow?"  Gates 
next  asked  as  they  dropped  from  a  surface  car  at  a 
dark  corner  in  the  West  End. 

"  We  are  going  after  Hemenway,"  Quincy  in- 
formed him.  "  And,  by  the  way,  Gates,  you  have 
not  the  least  show  in  the  world  of  passing  muster 
where  we  are  going.  You  look  altogether  too 
trim." 

"  But  I  can't  work  up  any  kind  of  a  disguise 
now,"  Gates  protested. 

"  Oh,   yes,  you  can.     A  scientific  disguise  Has 


46     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

nothing  to  do  with  false  whiskers  and  changed 
clothes,  in  spite  of  what  the  popular  version  of  the 
subject  may  be.  Here,  let  me  show  you  how  to  go 
•about  it.  First  push  that  hat  toward  the  back  of 
your  head;  no,  a  little  farther  and  a  bit  to  one 
side.  That's  right.  Next  roll  the  right  hand  lapel 
of  your  coat  over  a  little,  so  that  the  lapel  and  about 
half  your  collar  will  remain  out  of  place.  Correct. 
Then  stick  this  in  your  other  lapel."  He  put  in 
place  a  cheap  button  bearing  a  'pointless  phrase 
printed  on  it,  a  button  of  the  type  sold  with  cigar- 
ettes. "  Lastly,  put  this  jewel  in  your  tie."  He 
extended  a  tie  pin  set  with  a  large  flashy  gem. 

"  Gee,"  Gates  muttered.  "  Is  that  sparkler  the 
real  thing?  " 

"  The  real  thing  in  paste,  yes.  It  will  flas'h  like 
fire  when  the  light  strikes  it  from  the  proper  angle. 
Now  take  your  face  between  those  big  paws  of 
yours  and  rub  it  heartily  so  as  to  give  you  a  flushed 
appearance,  and  if  you  don't  pass  anywhere  as  a 
low  class  tout  I'm  mistaken." 

Quincy  surveyed  'his  handiwork  as  a  makeup 
artist  with  a  grin,  and  then  made  a  few  hasty 
changes  in  his  own  appearance,  achieving  a  result 
which  Gates  greeted  with  a  snort  of  derision. 

"  If  I  look  like  you  do  I'm  ashamed  of  myself," 
Gates  grinned  as  they  moved  off. 

The    saloon   which    Quincy    had    visited    in   the 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  47 

afternoon  maintained  its  same  general  appearance 
as  they  entered.  The  crowd  of  loungers  and 
hangers-on  was  a  little  larger,  perhaps;  but  the 
same  sullen  bartender  stood  at  his  place,  Rabbit  still 
circulated  among  the  billiard  tables,  and  the  same 
furtive  type  of  men  slunk  about  the  room,  grunting 
at  one  another  in  subdued  tones. 

"  Got  a  table  vacant,  Sport  ?  "  Quincy  demanded 
in  a  loud  tone  of  Rabbit,  sinking  his  voice  to  a 
whisper  as  he  fired  a  second  question.  "  What 
room  is  Long  Tom's  friend  in  ?  " 

"  Naw,  there  ain't  none  vacant,"  Rabbit 
responded  with  a  gleam  of  recognition  in  his  eyes. 
"  Up-stairs,  first  room  to  the  right,"  he  concluded 
in  a  whisper. 

"  Well,"  Quincy  continued,  "  my  friend  and  I 
want  to  play  off  a  bet.  Call  us  when  there's  a 
table  vacant  and  there'll  be  something  in  it  for  you." 
A  meaning  glance  accompanied  the  words,  and  as 
Quincy  moved  off  Rabbit  found  another  bill  in  his 
hand. 

Going  directly  to  the  bar  they  called  for  drinks, 
and,  the  crowd  about  being  too  large  to  allow  for 
their  dispensing  of  the  vile  liquid  by  way  of  the 
floor,  they  were  forced  to  drink  it.  "  Rat  poison," 
Quincy  heard  Gates  disgustedly  mutter  as  he  set  his 
glass  on  the  bar.  Quincy  then  addressed  the  bar- 
tender : 


48    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  My  friend  and  I,"  he  said,  "  want  a  room. 
Got  one  for  us  ?  " 

The  bartender  eyed  him1  critically  and,  -appearing 
to  detect  nothing  suspicious  about  either  of  the  pros- 
pective guests,  replied :  "  Yes.  A  dollar  a  night  in 
advance." 

Quincy  produced  the  money,  peeling  it  from  a 
very  slender  roll,  and  the  pair  were  conducted  to 
the  floor  above  by  a  seedy-looking  bell  boy.  As 
the  door  of  their  room  closed  Quincy  listened  in- 
tently while  the  footfalls  of  the  bell  boy  slowly  re- 
ceded down  the  corridor.  When  the  sounds  had 
died  away  he  jerked  open  the  door  and  was  in  the 
corridor,  Gates  striding  briskly  after  him.  They 
rushed  silently  to  the  door  Rabbit  had  described, 
and  Quincy  turned  the  knob,  finding,  as  he  had  ex- 
pected, that  the  door  was  locked. 

"  Open  it,"  he  commanded  tersely,  and  Gates  was 
instantly  at  work  with  his  skeleton  keys.  The 
lock  was  old  fashioned  and  yielded  quickly,  allow- 
ing the  pair  to  gain  entrance  after  merely  a  momen- 
tary delay.  The  room  was  in  darkness,  but  Quincy's 
flashlight  quickly  revealed  the  electric  switch,  and 
the  lights  immediately  flashed  forth. 

There  on  the  bed  lay  Hemenway,  securely  bound 
and  gagged. 

Working  rapidly,  it  was  but  a  few  moments  be- 
fore they  had  untied  the  various  knots  and  Hemen- 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  49 

way  sat  slowly  up,  gingerly  stretching  his  arms  to 
allow  for  the  returning  circulation. 

"  They  kidnapped  me,"  he  sputtered,  as  soon  as 
he  was  able  to  speak.  "  They  enticed  me  into  a 
cab  and  brought  me  here.  I've  been  tied  up  ever 
since." 

"  Why  didn't  you  yell  or  raise  a  rough  house  to 
attract  attention?"  Gates  demanded. 

"Yell!"  Hemenway  snorted.  "I  couldn't  yell. 
One  of  them  had  a  grip  on  my  neck,  and  I  had  my 
hands  full  trying  to  keep  him  from  choking  me  to 
death.  I  thought  at  first  that  killing  me  was  their 
intention,  and  I  fought  like  a  cat  to  get  away  from 
them.  I  bit,  clawed,  struck,  kicked  and  did  every- 
thing a  man  could  do,  but  I  couldn't  break  that 
hold  on  my  throat  and,  fighting  against  two  of  them 
as  I  was,  it  didn't  take  a  great  while  before  I  was 
too  exhausted  to  keep  up  the  struggle.  When  I 
stopped  fighting  they  loosened  up  on  me  a  little  and 
I  had  a  chance  to  get  my  breath  while  they  were 
driving  to  this  place.  I  couldn't  attract  any  outside 
attention,  though,  because  they  pulled  the  curtains 
down  and  one  of  them  had  his  hand  on  me  ready 
to  grab  me  by  the  throat  again  if  I  made  the  least 
movement. 

"  When  we  got  to  this  place  they  drove  in  by 
means  of  some  back  alley,  and  there  was  another 
blackguard  waiting  for  them  at  the  door.  He  was 


50    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

a  bartender,  I  should  think,  and  the  three  of  them 
dragged  me  out  of  the  hack.  I  broke  away  from 
them  somewhat,  and  got  down  in  the  street  on  my 
back,  and,  believe  me,  there  were  some  sore  shins 
in  that  crowd  before  they  could  get  me  up  again. 
I  kicked  and  howled  and  raised  all  kinds  of  a  ruc- 
tion, but  it  was  no  use.  I  couldn't  seem  to  attract 
any  attention  at  all  and,  as  soon  as  I  tired  myself 
out  again,  they  dragged  me  up  here  and  tied  me  up. 
I've  been  tied  up  just  as  you  found  me  ever  since. 
That  bartender  has  been  up  every  once  in  a  while, 
since,  to  make  sure  that  I  wasn't  getting  the  ropes 
loose,  but  I  haven't  seen  anything  of  the  other 
pair." 

"Would  you  know  the  other  men?"  Quincy 
questioned. 

"  You  bet  I  would,"  Hemenway  replied  with 
savage  conviction.  "  I'd  know  them  anywhere. 
And,  if  I  ever  do  meet  them  again  —  "  The  pause 
which  followed  the  remark  was  filled  with  signifi- 
cant promise. 

"  Come,"  Quincy  stated.  "  We  can't  waste  time 
here.  It  would  be  dangerous." 

Even  as  he  spoke,  footsteps  sounded  at  the  foot 
of  the  stairs,  followed  almost  immediately  by  Rab- 
bit's bawling  summons :  "  Say,  you  gents.  There's 
a  table  vacant  now." 

For  a  moment  silence  reigned,  and  then  the  three 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  51 

in  the  doorway  heard  a  fierce  sibilant  whisper  from 
half  way  up  the  stairs.  "  You  fool,  what  did  you 
do  that  for?  " 

"  They  told  me  to,"  Rabbit  whined  in  protest. 
"  They  told  me  to  'holler  when  there  was  a  table." 

"  Come,"  said  Gates  in  a  low  growl.  "  The 
longer  we  wait  the  harder  our  job  will  be." 

He  leaped  through  the  door,  with  the  others  close 
at  his  heels.  Down  the  flight  of  stairs  they  charged 
and,  before  the  bartender,  for  it  was  he,  had  time  in 
which  to  recover  himself,  a  blow  from  Gates'  mighty 
fist  sent  him  flying  out  of  the  way,  reeling  and 
staggering  against  the  wall.  From  the  direction  of 
the  saloon  came  the  alarmed  cry  of  "  cops,"  fol- 
lowed by  the  scurrying  of  many  feet.  In  their  path 
stood  the  Rabbit,  cleverly  simulating  silent  terror; 
but,  as  the  trio  bounded  his  way,  one  eye  closed 
slowly  and  a  quick  jerk  of  his  thumb  indicated  a 
doorway. 

The  slight  delay  in  getting  their  bearings  was 
sufficient  to  complicate  their  escape.  The  bartender 
had  regained  his  feet  and,  thirsting  for  vengeance, 
came  at  them  with  a  yell,  calling  all  the  while  for 
the  aid  of  his  friends  in  the  saloon.  Gates  leaped 
forward  to  meet  him,  but  found  quickly  that  he 
had  his  hands  full,  for  the  bartender  showed  himself 
to  be  a  skilled  boxer,  undoubtedly  a  product  of  the 
prize  ring.  His  first  blow  sent  Gates  back,  dazed 


52    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

and  half  falling,  and,  without  pausing  an  instant, 
he  followed  up  his  advantage  to  such  good  purpose 
that  Gates  became  fully  occupied  in  trying  to  parry 
the  blows,  without  being  given  an  opportunity  to 
strike  in  his  own  behalf. 

To  make  matters  worse  there  came  a  rush  of  feet 
from  the  direction  of  the  saloon  and  it  was  evident 
to  the  detectives  and  Hemenway  that  it  would  be 
but  a  matter  of  a  few  seconds  before  they  were 
set  upon  by  overwhelming  numbers.  Again,  how- 
ever, it  was  the  Rabbit  who  came  to  their  rescue. 
With  a  shrill  squeal  of  assumed  terror  he  turned 
about  and  dived  headlong  through  the  door, 
striking  among  the  advancing  legs  and  so  entan- 
gling them  that  in  an  instant  the  doorway  was 
choked  with  -a  heap  of  struggling  human  beings,  all 
striving  to  regain  their  feet  and  advance  to  the 
attack. 

But,  the  slight  delay  caused  by  Rabbit's  manoeuvre 
had  been  sufficient  to  once  more  turn  the  tide,  for 
the  bartender,  suddenly  beset  on  either  side  by 
Quincy  and  Hemenway,  while  Gates  occupied  him 
from  in  front,  found  himself  to  be  greatly  at  a  dis- 
advantage. His  arms  were  simultaneously  pinioned 
to  his  sides  and  then,  with  a  sudden  heave  by  the 
three  men  in  unison,  he  was  propelled  headlong  into 
the  struggling  mass  that  choked  the  doorway.  Their 
way  once  more  free  from  obstruction,  the  trio 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  53 

sprang  toward  the  door  which  the  Rabbit  had  in- 
dicated and  plunged  through  it,  rinding  themselves 
in  a  narrow  alley,  at  one  end  of  which  gleamed 
the  lights  of  a  street,  and  from  which  end  came  the 
dull  clanging  of  street  car  gongs.  A  short  run 
carried  them  the  length  of  the  alley  and,  having 
gained  the  street,  it  was  but  a  few  moments  before 
they  were  aboard  a  surface  car  and  bound  in  the 
direction  of  Tim  McMahon's  saloon. 

The  status  of  affairs  in  Room  Eight  appeared  to 
have  changed  not  at  all  during  their  absence.  Mc- 
Rechnie  and  Long  Tom  still  sat  where  they  had 
been  left,  staring  gloomily  at  each  other,  while 
Tim  slouched  back  in  a  chairand  puffed  at  his  stubby 
clay  pipe  in  grim  silence.  Such  was  the  sight  which 
met  Hemenway's  gaze  as  he  entered,  but  the  silent 
inactivity  of  the  place  was  of  short  duration  fol- 
lowing his  entrance.  As  his  eyes  fell  on  the  pris- 
oners he  grasped  sharply  at  Quincy's  arm. 

"  Those  are  the  men,"  he  exclaimed  excitedly. 
"  They  are  the  ones  who  were  in  that  cab." 

"  I  know  it,"  Quincy  assured  him  quietly.  "  We 
are  now  about  to  call  their  game  and  the  result  will 
be  interesting." 

While  the  brief  colloquy  was  going  on  Gates  had 
been  sharply  scanning  Long  Tom's  face,  noting  the 
various  shades  of  pallor  that  were  intermittently  ap- 
pearing on  it,  and  watching  the  expression  of  fear 


54     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

grow  ever  stronger  as  the  man's  imagination  be- 
came active. 

"  Look  at  Long  Tom,"  he  whispered  to  Quincy. 
"  It  will  need  only  the  mildest  of  examinations  to 
twist  a  confession  from  him." 

"  We  don't  need  it,"  Quincy  replied.  "  We  have 
the  goods  on  them  both,  and  they  can't  shake  away 
under  any  consideration.  Now,  Mr.  Hemenway," 
he  continued,  turning  half  about,  "  I  am  able  to 
introduce  you  to  the  man  who  assaulted  you  in  your 
office,  and  then  followed  it  up  by  an  assault  on  your 
grandmother  in  her  own  home.  You  are  proud  of 
your  work,  aren't  you,  Tom?  It  takes  a  man  of 
unusual  courage  to  sneak  up  behind  an  old  lady 
and  hit  her  over  the  head." 

"But,  why?"  Hemenway  gasped,  looking  from 
Quincy  to  Long  Tom,  and  evidently  struggling  in 
a  fog  of  mystification.  "  Why  should  he  have  done 
it?  I  am  sure  I  never  saw  the  man  before,  and, 
for  the  life  of  me,  I  cannot  see  what  enmity 
he  could  have  toward  my  grandmother  and  my- 
self." 

"  He  had  none,  Hemenway.  I  assure  you  that  he 
had  none  whatever.  This  little  game  was  a  stroke 
in  a  certain  class  of  high  finance.  Our  collection," 
indicating  the  prisoners,  "  is  still  short  one  curio, 
but  that  need  make  no  difference  at  present.  You 
will  best  be  able  to  understand  the  affair  if  I  give 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  55 

you  a  more  detailed  account  of  it,  and  the  reasons 
causing  it,  as  I  have  figured  them  out. 

"  My  starting  point,  Mr.  Hemenway,  was  here. 
It  was  perfectly  evident,  from  the  mode  employed 
in  the  assaults  on  yourself  and  on  your  grandmother, 
that  whoever  committed  the  deeds  had  no  intention 
of  doing  either  of  you  a  lasting  injury.  The  blows 
dealt  in  each  case  were  too  light  to  cause  death, 
being  merely  what  are  called  in  police  parlance 
'  sleepers/  or  stunning  blows.  They  were  struck, 
I  judged,  with  a  sandbag,  and  by  the  hand  of  a  man 
well  versed  in  the  art  of  sandbagging.  If  the  blows 
were  not  intended  to  cause  death,  or  serious  injury, 
their  motive  could  not,  therefore,  have  been  revenge. 
The  robbery  theory  passed  out  of  the  case  hand- 
in-hand  with  the  theory  of  enmity,  or  revenge,  be- 
cause in  each  case  you  testified  that  nothing  what- 
ever had  been  taken.  Consequently,  I  was  obliged 
to  seek  elsewhere  for  a  motive,  and  it  was  not  until 
you  told  me  of  the  pending  law  settlement  of  your 
contested  property  rights  that  I  commenced  to  see 
a  glimmer  of  light  in  the  case. 

"  I  seized  on  that  theory  and  worked  at  it,  finding 
that  it  quickly  unfolded  a  most  plausible  motive  for 
the  assaults;  namely,  that  the  man  who  was  con- 
testing your  rights  was  preparing  to  spring  some 
sort  of  a  trap,  and  that  he  wished  to  keep  your  at- 
tention engaged  elsewhere  while  he  was  working 


56    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

out  'his  little  game.  Nothing  will  focus  a  man's 
attention  more  readily,  as  a  rule,  than  an  assault  on 
him,  and  you  were  therefore  attacked.  But,  even 
then,  you  did  not  relax  your  efforts  in  the  prepa- 
ration of  your  property  case,  and  it  became  necessary 
for  your  opponent  to  take  another  step,  the  result 
being  the  attack  on  your  grandmother.  But,  even 
then,  your  opponent  evidently  was  not  fully  satis- 
fied, for  we  have  seen  that  you  were  kidnapped  and 
carried  to  the  place  where  we  found  you,  —  your 
room,  let  me  add,  having  been  hired  for  a  week, 
which  argues  that  you  were  doomed  to  confinement 
until  after  the  case  had  come  to  trial.  There,  I 
think,  we  have  the  motive  of  this  affair." 

"  But,"  Hemenway  protested ;  "  would  they  have 
dared  to  kidnap  me  for  any  such  reason  as  that? 
I  saw  the  two  men  and  would  have  been  able  to 
identify  them  at  any  time." 

"  Yes,"  Quincy  replied  with  a  smile.  (C  You 
could  have  identified  them  to  your  own  satisfac- 
tion; but  you  have  no  idea  what  beautiful  alibis 
they  would  have  been  provided  with,  had  you 
brought  your  charge  against  them.  The  chances 
are  strong  that,  instead  of  'having  your  case  against 
them  upheld,  the  only  result  of  your  charge  would 
have  been  that  you  would  have  found  yourself 
ordered  out  of  court  and  have  been  reprimanded  for 
bringing  in  charges  so  evidently  the  result  of  your 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  57 

own  drunken  imagination.  Yes,  that  is  what  your 
charge  would  have  been  called,  so  don't  look 
shocked.  These  men  would  have  been  supplied  with 
an  endless  chain  of  witnesses  who  would  have  cor- 
roborated whatever  alibi  the  defence  happened  to 
choose.  You  can  see  how  little  risk  they  ran  in 
abducting  you.  Remember,  also,  that  they  are 
backed  by  Peter  Lorillard,  of  the  Lorillard  Realty 
Corporation,  and  that  Mr.  McKechnie  is  that  corpo- 
ration's chief  counsel.  There  you  have  the  whole 
affair  in  a  nutshell." 

"But,  Sawyer/'  Gates  broke  in.  "All  that  is 
interesting  and  necessary,  but  how  did  you  settle  on 
Long  Tom?  That  is  what  I  want  to  find  out." 

"  Well,"  Quincy  continued,  "  that  part  was  the 
result  of  deduction.  I  have  shown  how  I  traced  the 
affair  to  Lorillard's  company  and  how  McKechnie 
is  the  company's  counsel.  I  have  also  shown  that  I 
believed  both  victims  to  have  been  sandbagged. 
Now,  a  sandbag  is  a  weapon  that  requires  great 
skill  in  its  use.  It  leaves  no  mark  when  a  blow  is 
struck  with  it,  it  is  silent,  and  above  all  it  is  deadly. 
In  the  hands  of  an  inexperienced  man  a  sandbag 
is  one  of  the  most  dangerous  of  weapons;  but  an 
expert  can  so  judge  the  force  of  his  blow  as  to  make 
it  as  wicked  or  as  harmless  as  he  pleases.  You 
must  observe  that  nobody  other  than  an  expert  could 
have  struck  the  blows  in  this  particular  case,  for 


58    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

you  will  readily  see  that  it  required  a  far  different 
blow  to  strike  down  a  young  man  than  was  re- 
quired to  incapacitate  an  aged  woman.  Had  the 
same  blows  been  used  the  inevitable  result  would 
have  been  death  for  Mrs.  Patterson.  Therefore  I 
discovered  that  I  must  search  for  a  .sandbag  expert. 

"  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  sandbag  experts  are 
very  few  and  far  between  in  this  city,  for  the  sand- 
bag, as  Inspector  Gates  will  tell  you,  is  rarely  used 
here.  In  fact,  as  I  ran  back  over  the  list  of  my 
variously  accomplished  acquaintances,  I  could  think 
of  only  one  man  whom  I  absolutely  knew  to  be  a 
sandbag  expert.  That  man  was  Long  Tom,  who 
learned  the  art  in  Chicago,  I  believe,  several  years 
ago.  Long  Tom,  also,  was  a  close  pal  of  Ike  Mc- 
Kechnie,  which  fact  formed  a  second  link  connect- 
ing him  with  the  case.  From  time  to  time,  as  I 
followed  out  the  thread  of  evidence,  I  found  other 
connections  which  strengthened  my  belief.  Now, 
Gates,  before  I  continue  my  story,  will  you  please 
take  Tom's  thumb  print  and  compare  it  with  the 
photographs  of  the  prints  figuring  in  this  case. 
Compare  it  carefully  with  the  one  in  Mr.  Hemen- 
way's  office,  but  above  all  compare  it  very  carefully 
with  the  one  which  appeared  on  the  mirror  in  Mrs. 
Patterson's  room." 

As  Gates  stepped  forward  to  comply  with 
Quincy's  instructions  a  sneering  grin  of  triumph 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  59 

flashed  for  a  moment  over  McKechnie's  face,  but 
no  answering  grin  came  back  from  Long  Tom,  who 
was  sullenly  extending  his  thumb  for  the  impression. 
Gates  went  rapidly  about  his  work  and  in  a  few 
moments  had  the  impression  of  Long  Tom's  thumb 
laid  beside  the  photographs  on  the  card  table.  As 
be  bent  over  the  table  to  make  the  comparison, 
however,  an  expression  of  astonishment  appeared 
on  his  face,  and  he  strained  sharply  forward. 

"  Sawyer,"  he  exclaimed  excitedly.  "  These 
prints  are  not  the  same ! " 

"  Of  course  they  aren't  the  same,"  McKechnie 
sneered.  "  You  fellows  are  in  bad,  and  you'd  better 
take  these  irons  off  Tom  and  me,  or  you'll  sweat 
proper  for  this  job."  He  glared  threateningly  as 
he  concluded. 

"  Don't  grow  overheated,  Ike,"  Quincy  cautioned 
him  coolly.  "  Remember  that  I  didn't  say  they  were 
the  same.  In  fact,  I  knew  they  were  not." 

With  the  exception  of  Long  Tom  all  regarded 
him  incredulously ;  but  the  sandbagger  still  sat  with 
head  bowed  hopelessly,  and  with  an  air  of  complete 
dejection. 

"  Now,  listen,"  Quincy  continued,  "  because  right 
here  we  have  the  keystone  of  the  whole  affair,  and 
one  of  diabolical  cunning  it  is.  You  will  remember, 
Gates,  that  I  carefully  questioned  Mrs.  Patterson 
in  order  to  discover  whether  her  assailant  ap- 


60     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

preached  her  from  one  side  or  from  behind.  Now, 
Gates,  approaching  as  he  did  from  behind,  how  in 
the  world  could  he  have  so  manoeuvred  as  to  acci- 
dentally touch  a  mirror  which  lay  on  the  table  some 
distance  in  front  of  her  ?  Furthermore,  why  should 
a  man,  in  leaving  an  office  which  was  well  lighted, 
carefully  impress  his  thumb  on  the  door  some  dis- 
tance above  the  knob  ?  Were  those  actions  acciden- 
tal? Most  assuredly  they  were  not. 

"  Those  thumb  prints  were  placed  purposely, 
and  with  the  desire  that  they  should  be  discovered. 
Why?  Because  they  were  not  the  prints  of  the  as- 
sailant's thumb,  but  were  artificial  prints  intended 
to  throw  investigators  off  the  track.  He  well  knew 
that  no  court  in  the  world  would  convict  him  on 
such  circumstantial  evidence  as  might  be  offered 
against  him,  provided  it  could  be  shown  that  his 
thumb  print  was  different  from  those  found  on  the 
scenes  of  his  crimes. 

"  Study  that  photograph  of  the  thumb  print  on 
the  mirror,  Gates.  Don't  you  see  the  peculiarity 
it  possesses?  Look  at  it.  It  is  a  double  thumb 
print.  You  can  see  the  tip  of  another  thumb  at 
the  side  of  the  main  print  and  farther  over  on  the 
mirror  you  can  see  where  two  knuckles  lightly 
touched  the  glass.  Do  you  follow  me?  Good. 
Now,  look  here." 

As  he  concluded  he  drew  from  his  pocket  the, 


THE  DOUBLE  THUMB  PRINT  61 

object  'he  had  taken  from  Long  Tom  and  laid  it  on 
the  table,  still  keeping  it  covered  with  his  hand. 
Slowly  he  removed  his  hand,  and  left  lying  on  the 
table  a  mummified  human  thumb,  at  which  his  com- 
panions stared  aghast. 

"  That,"  he  stated  triumphantly,  "  is  the  key  to 
the  thumb-print  riddle.  That  thumb,  treated  by 
some  process  which  preserved  it,  has  been  used  for 
the  purpose  of  hiding  the  tracks  of  the  real  criminal 
in  this  case.  It  was  a  simple  matter  for  the  man  to 
rub  the  thumb  on  the  palm  of  his  hand  until  it 
gathered  sufficient  moisture  and  oil  to  make  an 
impression  on  the  glass,  or  to  dip  it  in  ink,  as  was 
the  method  in  the  office.  When  making  the  im- 
print on  the  mirror,  however,  he  made  the  fatal 
error  of  touching  the  tip  of  his  own  thumb  to  the 
glass  while  holding  the  dummy,  and  thus  he  sup- 
plied us  with  the  suspicious  phenomenon  of  a  double 
thumb  print.  That  thumb,"  he  regarded  it  with 
disgust,  "  is  so  far  gone  that  it  could  never  'have 
been  used  again,  but  it  did  its  work  in  this  case  and, 
but  for  the  slightest  of  slips  on  the  part  of  Long 
Tom,  it  would  have  defeated  us." 

For  some  time  after  he  had  concluded  his  re- 
marks no  word  was  spoken,  the  only  sounds  in  the 
room  being  the  nervously  excited  breathing  of  the 
men  or  the  creaking  of  a  chair  as  one  shifted  his 
position.  Then  McKechnie  moodily  raised  his  eyes. 


62    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  You  can't  take  it  all  out  on  us,"  he  growled. 
"  Lorillard  has  got  to  come  in  for  his  share.  He 
planned  it." 

"  Lorillard,"  Quincy  stated,  "  has  already  been 
arrested.  He  was  taken  on  my  complaint  early  in 
the  evening  and  is  now  awaiting  you  at  police  head- 
quarters. Will  you  go  to  the  station  in  a  cab  with- 
out making  any  trouble  or  shall  I  'have  Inspector 
Gates  call  a  patrol  wagon?  " 

McKechnie  glared  sullenly  at  the  handcuffs  which 
pinioned  his  wrists.  "  We'll  go  in  a  cab,"  he 
growled.  "  I  guess  the  game's  up." 


II 

THE  AFFAIR  OF  THE  GOLDEN   BELT 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me,"  Quincy  demanded, 
staring  incredulously  at  his  visitor  and  chewing 
nervously  at  the  stem  of  his  pipe,  "  that  a  man  may 
be  apparently  murdered  on  your  own  grounds, 
buried  within  a  hundred  feet  of  your  own  house, 
and  yet  you  have  absolutely  no  idea  as  to  his  iden- 
tity?" 

"  That's  just  what  I  mean,  sir,"  the  bald-headed 
little  man  before  him  reiterated  testily.  "  I  haven't 
the  slightest  idea  who  this  man  is,  nor  where  he 
came  from.  If  I  knew  all  these  things  I  would  not 
have  considered  it  necessary  to  have  come  to  you 
for  aid." 

Quincy  grinned  at  the  irritability  of  the  reply  and 
carefully  scrutinized  his  guest.  The  man  was  short, 
stout,  very  bald,  and,  to  cap  it  all,  possessed  a  pair 
of  pop  eyes  that  blinked  owlishly  from  behind  great 
round  spectacles.  He  'possessed  the  air  of  a  man 
who  is  perpetually  excited,  and  the  possibility  of 
being  able  to  draw  an  intelligent  story  from  him 
with  a  single  telling  seemed  remote  in  the  extreme. 


64    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  Now  just  let  me  get  the  facts  of  this  affair  fixed 
firmly  in  my  mind,"  Quincy  said  slowly.  "  As  I 
understand  it,  you  own  a  farm  in  Yokum,  where  you 
spend  your  summers,  and  you  have  been  there  some 
two  months  this  season.  On  your  farm  is  a  large 
tract  of  woodland  which  surrounds  your  house  and 
practically  isolates  you  from  all  neighbours.  You 
were  walking  in  that  woodland,  quite  near  your 
house,  early  this  morning,  when  your  dog  suddenly 
showed  great  excitement  and  began  digging  in 
what  appeared  to  be  freshly  turned  earth.  What 
sort  of  a  dog  'have  you?  " 

"  A  fox  terrier,  sir,  and  he  was  —  " 

"  Just  a  moment,"  Quincy  broke  in  with  ttpraised 
hand.  "  I  want  to  get  at  this  story  as  I  understand 
it.  We  shall  leave  the  details  until  later.  Your  curi- 
osity was  aroused  by  the  dog's  actions,  and  you  dug 
into  the  earth  with  a  stick,  uncovering,  at  a  depth 
of  less  than  two  feet,  a  human  hand.  Now  I  want 
to  get  a  connected  idea  as  to  just  what  you  did  then; 
Did  you  continue  to  dig  or  did  you  immediately  go 
for  Doctor  Weston?  " 

"  I  immediately  went  for  Doctor  Weston,"  the 
man  replied.  "  I  knew  that  there  must  have  been 
foul  play  of  some  sort,  and  I  wished  to  have  a 
witness  on  hand  before  I  went  any  further.  Doctor 
Weston  is  a  neighbour  and  friend  of  mine  in  the 
city." 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  65 

"  Very  good,"  said  Quincy.  "  Then  you  and  the 
doctor  dug  into  the  earth  and  uncovered  the  body 
of  a  man,  the  doctor  assuring  you  that  the  dead  man 
had  probably  been  living  within  twenty-four  hours, 
possibly  less.  You  have  no  idea  as  to  who  the  man 
may  have  been,  nor  had  the  doctor  ever  seen  him. 
Am  I  right  so  far,  Mr.  Brown  ?  " 

"  You  are."  The  little  man's  excitement  was 
rising  again  and,  as  it  rose,  he  spoke  with  an  al- 
most comical  air  of  astonishment.  "  But  you  must 
bear  in  mind,  sir,  that  the  man  had  been  murdered, 
sir,  murdered,  and  buried  on  my  land.  Why,  the 
back  of  his  head  was  all  smashed  in." 

"  Yes,  yes,  Mr.  Brown,  I  understand  that  he  had 
been  murdered,"  Quincy  assured  him.  "  It  is  hardly 
probable  that  such  extraordinary  care  would  have 
been  taken  in  concealing  the  body  had  the  man  died 
of  measles,  say.  Now,  what  did  you  do  with  the 
body  and  what  was  your  next  step  following 
that?" 

"  We  left  the  body  right  beside  the  hole  from 
which  we  took  it,  sir,  and  Doctor  Weston  went  to 
summon  the  medical  examiner.  I  hastened  here  to 
find  you,  because  I  knew  that  we  should  need  more 
able  assistance  on  the  case  than  that  which  the  local 
constabulary  could  give  us.  You  will  help  us  out, 
won't  you?"  he  concluded  anxiously. 

Quincy  was  silent  for  several  seconds.     "  Yes," 


66    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

he  said  slowly,  "  I  certainly  think  that  I  must  help 
you  out.  This  particular  case  presents  so  many  al- 
luring points  that  I  cannot  let  it  pass.  You  see  I 
have  here  the  novel  necessity  of  not  only  establish- 
ing the  motive  for  the  crime  and  rinding  the 
criminal,  but  I  must  also  establish  the  identity  of 
the  murdered  man  and  discover  why  he  should  have 
been  on  your  land  at  the  time  of  his  death.  No,  I 
cannot  let  such  a  case  as  this  one  pass  me.  If  you 
please,  Mr.  Brown,  I  wish  you  would  accompany 
me  immediately  to  your  farm  and  let  me  look  over 
the  ground  while  the  trail  is  yet  fresh.  If  the  man 
has  been  dead  so  short  a  time  as  your  friend,  the 
doctor,  tells  you,  it  is  evident  that  the  murderer  has 
not  been  able  to  secure  a  very  great  start.  Come, 
let  us  go  to  Yokum  at  once." 

While  on  the  way  to  the  railroad  station  Quincy 
had  very  little  to  say,  and,  once  seated  in  the  train, 
he  retired  utterly  within  himself,  and  sank  into  a 
deep  study,  from  which  he  did  not  emerge  until  the 
train  had  nearly  completed  the  short  run  to  Yokum. 
Then,  arousing  himself  momentarily,  he  demanded : 
"  Have  you  any  serious  enemies,  so  far  as  you 
know,  Mr.  Brown?" 

Brown  started  violently  at  the  words,  and  the  sud- 
denness with  which  they  were  hurled  at  him.  "  Not 
to  my  knowledge,  sir,"  he  rejoined,  as  soon  as  he 
had  somewhat  recovered  from  his  agitation,  "  Are 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  67 

you  wondering  if  this  man  might  have  been  mis- 
taken for  me  ?  "  he  asked  somewhat  anxiously. 

"  Not  at  all,"  Quincy  laughingly  replied.  "  I  had 
a  far  different  idea  in  my  mind.  But  here  we  are 
in  Yokum,  so  let  us  defer  our  consideration  of  the 
case  until  we  have  examined  the  evidence  at  first 
hand." 

Brown's  carriage  was  awaiting  them  and  a  short 
drive  took  them  to  the  scene  of  the  mystery.  There 
they  found  Doctor  Weston  and  the  medical  exam- 
iner engaged  in  an  animated  discussion  regarding 
the  force  which  must  'have  been  behind  a  blow  in 
order  to  crush  in  a  man's  skull  as  had  been  done  in 
the  present  instance.  Quincy  regarded  them  with  a 
dry  smile  for  a  few  moments  before  interrupting. 

"  Pardon  me,  gentlemen,"  he  said ;  "  but  is  this 
the  extent  of  your  progress  in  the  examination?  " 

At  the  words  the  medical  examiner  started  some- 
what guiltily.  "  We  have  only  just  arrived,"  he 
hastened  to  explain.  "  I  was  out  attending  a  patient 
when  Doctor  Weston  came  to  my  house,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  wait  some  little  time  for  my  return.  If 
you  will  pardon  me  now,  Doctor,"  he  continued  to 
Doctor  Weston,  "  I  shall  make  my  examination." 

As  the  examiner  bent  over  the  body,  which  still 
lay  in  the  spot  where  it  had  been  placed  after  having 
been  taken  from  its  insufficient  grave,  Quincy  was 
close  at  fais  elbow.  The  body,  he  saw,  was  that  of 


68    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

a  young  man,  well  dressed  and  bearing  every  ap- 
pearance of  fastidious  care,  in  spite  of  the  earth 
stains  with  which  the  clothing  was  now  covered. 
The  smooth-shaven  face  was  in  complete  repose,  a 
fact  which  seemed  to  indicate  that  death  had  come 
unexpectedly  and  instantaneously,  a  supposition 
whidh  was  still  further  supported  by  the  fact  that 
the  blow  had  undoubtedly  been  dealt  from  behind. 

The  medical  examiner  proceeded  to  make  a  care- 
ful investigation  of  the  dead  man's  pockets,  but,  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  the  pockets  were  laden  with 
the  usual  collection  of  minor  articles  that  a  man 
will  generally  carry,  not  a  scrap  of  paper,  either 
letter  or  card,  was  present  to  indicate  the  identity  of 
the  body.  One  thing  which  was  on  the  body,  how- 
ever, caused  a  start  of  surprise  to  all  present.  This 
was  a  large  roll  of  bills  which  lay  loosely  in  one 
of  the  pockets,  and  which  did  not  seem  to  have  been 
in  the  least  disturbed.  Thus,  any  possibility  of  a 
murder  for  the  sake  of  robbery  was  apparently  dis- 
posed of. 

After  several  minutes  of  careful  investigation  the 
medical  examiner  rose  and  turned  a  puzzled  face 
toward  Quincy. 

"  What  do  you  make  of  it,  Mr.  Sawyer?  "  he  in- 
quired. 

Quincy  slowly  shook  his  head.  "  Very  little  as 
yet,"  he  replied.  "  It  is  evident,  of  course,  that  the 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  69 

blow  was  struck  with  some  blunt  instrument,  causing" 
instant  death.  It  would  also  seem,  from  the  fact 
that  so  little  blood  appears  on  the  clothing,  that  the 
body  was  not  allowed  to  lie  after  death,  but  was 
immediately  dragged  or  carried  to  this  spot  and 
buried.  Beyond  those  very  obvious  facts  I  do  not 
feel  that  I  can  go  at  present." 

He  paused  for  some  little  time  after  he  had  fin- 
ished speaking,  and  stood  absently  caressing  his 
chin  while  he  studied  the  body  with  great  intent- 
ness.  Then  he  suddenly  stooped  and  fumbled 
eagerly  about  -the  man's  coat,  turning,  with  one 
knee  still  resting  on  the  ground,  while  'he  again  ad- 
dressed the  examiner. 

"  Doctor,  here  seems  to  be  another  peculiar  fea- 
ture. The  man's  belt  is  missing." 

"  Do  you  suppose,"  Doctor  Weston  interposed, 
"  that  it  was  a  money  belt  ?  " 

"  That  is  possible,  of  course,"  Quincy  replied 
with  a  trace  of  doubt  in  his  tone,  "  but  I  hardly  think 
it  could  have  been  a  fact  in  this  case.  That  is,  I 
do  not  think  that  any  valuables  which  the  man 
might  have  carried  were  directly  responsible  for 
his  death.  That  roll  of  bills  seems  to  preclude  such 
a  supposition.  Whatever  the  purpose  of  the  mur- 
der might  have  been  I  hardly  think  that  it  could 
have  been  robbery." 

It  was  plain  that  he  was  deeply  puzzled  by  the 


70     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

affair,  and  it  was  several  minutes  before  he  again 
removed  his  gaze  from  the  body,  his  face  showing 
tihat  he  was  by  no  means  satisfied  with  the  informa- 
tion at  hand.  He  devoted  some  time  to  a  careful 
examination  of  the  articles  which  had  been  taken 
from  the  man's  pockets.  In  the  collection  was  a 
perfectly  plain  white  handkerchief,  a  small  pocket 
flask,  a  cigarette  case,  match  safe  and  various  small 
bits  of  personal  property.  On  the  match  safe,  how- 
ever, Quincy  quickly  centred  his  attention,  the 
safe  being  the  only  article  which  bore  the  faintest 
semblance  of  a  clue  which  might  lead  to  the  body's 
identification.  Even  the  clue  offered  by  the  safe  was 
faint,  indeed,  being  nothing  more  than  the  engraved 
block  letters  "  E.  B.  F."  Quincy  placed  the  safe  in 
his  pocket  and  quietly  arose. 

"  How  long  has  that  man  been  dead,  in  your  opin- 
ion, Doctor?"  he  inquired  of  the  examiner. 

"  Less  than  twenty-four  hours,"  was  the  reply. 
"  I  even  think  I  might  be  willing  to  hazard  the 
opinion  that  he  must  have  been  murdered  and  buried 
last  night." 

"  Well,  we  can  do  little  until  we  are  able  to  dis- 
cover something  about  him.  We  must  discover,  if 
possible,  when  he  came  here,  where  he  was  last  seen, 
and,  above  all,  with  whom  he  talked.  In  that  way 
we  may  be  able  to  find  out  who  he  was,  and  then  we 
shall  have  something  to  work  on." 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  71 

As  Quincy  and  Doctor  Weston  walked  away  from 
the  grounds,  Brown  and  the  medical  examiner  hav- 
ing remained  behind  to  arrange  for  the  disposal  of 
the  body,  the  doctor  inquired  casually: 

"  Well,  Mr.  Sawyer,  what  do  you  make  of  the 
case  ?  " 

"  My  dear  Doctor,"  Quincy  replied,  "  I  have  abso- 
lutely no  grounds  on  which  to  base  any  opinion 
whatever,  as  yet.  The  case  is  one  which  will  re- 
quire considerable  investigation  and,  as  an  opening, 
I  wish  to  inquire  as  to  whether  or  not  you  are  well 
acquainted  with  Mr.  Brown?  " 

The  doctor  gave  him  a  sharp  glance,  but  Quincy's 
expressionless  face  'told  him  nothing.  "  I  am  fairly 
well  acquainted  with  Mr.  Brown,"  he  responded 
guardedly,  "  but  I  have  never  been  on  intimate 
terms  with  him." 

"  Of  course  you  can  form  no  opinion  as  to  why 
a  spat  almost  within  plain  sight  of  Mr.  Brown's 
house  should  have  been  chosen  as  the  burial  place 
for  the  murdered  man  ?  " 

"  I  can  form  no  opinion  whatever  about  the  case," 
the  doctor  replied,  with  an  emphasis  that  brought  a 
smile  to  Quincy's  face. 

Quincy  did  not  press  the  subject  and  soon  after- 
ward separated  from  the  doctor  at  the  latter's  resi- 
dence. He  then  threw  himself  heart  and  soul  into 
the  investigation  in  hand,  making  careful  inquiries 


72     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

at  every  point  where  he  imagined  that  the  unfor- 
tunate young  man  might  have  been  seen.  On  every 
hand,  however,  he  was  met  by  a  baffling  lack  of 
knowledge.  It  seemed  incredible  that  a  man  could 
have  arrived  at  so  small  a  town  and  have  then  com- 
pletely disappeared  without  a  single  resident,  or 
hanger-on  at  .the  station,  having  caught  so  much  as 
a  glimpse  of  him.  Furthermore,  it  seemed  likewise 
incredible  that  the  natural  curiosity  of  the  country- 
man had  not  caused  those  who  had  seen  the  man, 
for  he  had  no  doubt  about  the  man's  having  been 
seen  by  somebody,  to  retain  a  mental  note  of  his  ap- 
pearance. 

Just  as  dusk  fell  he  made  his  way,  now  com- 
pletely nonplussed,  to  the  little  railroad  station,  be- 
ing obliged  to  return  to  Boston  that  evening.  Being 
some  minutes  in  advance  of  his  train  he  lighted  a 
cigar  and  strolled  aimlessly  along  the  platform,  his 
mind  fully  occupied  with  the  problem  which  con- 
fronted him.  Suddenly,  just  at  the  side  of  the 
baggage-room  door,  he  paused,  his  eyes  fixed  on  an 
innocent-appearing  suitcase  which  stood  before  him. 
Plainly  stencilled  on  the  end  of  the  suitcase  in  black 
letters  were  the  initials  "  E.  B.  F."  Giving  no  out- 
ward sign  of  the  eagerness  which  was  within  him, 
Quincy  turned  and  carelessly  beckoned  to  the  sta- 
tion agent. 

"  Was  that  case  left  here  by  a  young  man  dressed 


HE     PAUSED,     HIS     EYES     FIXED     ON     AN     INNOCENT- 
APPEARING   SUITCASE." 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  73 

in  a  light  brown  suit?"  he  inquired,  as  the  agent 
hurried  to  his  side. 

The  agent  thoughtfully  scratched  his  ear  for  a 
moment.  "  Yes,  it  was,"  he  broke  out  suddenly, 
his  face  lighting  with  remembrance.  "  I  remember 
him  now.  He  came  in  on  the  train  from  Boston  last 
night,  and  wanted  to  leave  his  case  here  while  he 
went  somewhere  up  in  the  town.  He  said  he'd  be 
back  after  it,  but  he  didn't  come.  Are  you  a  friend 
of  his?" 

"  Yes,"  Quincy  casually  informed  him,  holding 
a  half  dollar  conspicuously  in  his  hand.  "  He  asked 
me  to  bring  his  case  up  to  him.  There  will  be  no 
objection,  I  suppose,  as  long  as  it  isn't  checked." 

"  No,  sir,"  the  agent  responded,  pocketing  the 
coin  with  alacrity.  "  The  railroad  company  is  not 
responsible  for  it  and  I'll  be  glad  to  get  it  out  of 
my  way." 

Once  aboard  the  train,  Quincy  gave  himself  over 
to  thought.  So  his  man  had  come  from  Boston. 
Well,  that  had  seemed  reasonably  certain  from  the 
first,  and  it  brought  him  no  nearer  to  his  goal.  The 
matter  of  the  suitcase,  however,  struck  him  as  be- 
ing decidedly  significant.  If  the  man  had  left  it  at 
the  station,  it  was  perfectly  obvious  that  he  had  in- 
tended to  return  for  it,  and  it  further  needed  but 
a  slight  stretch  of  the  imagination  in  order  to  es- 
tablish the  probability  that  the  man  had  made  the 


74    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

trip  to  Yokum  with  the  intention  of  visiting  some 
definite  point  in  the  town.  It  was  then  but  a  brief 
step  onward  to  suppose  that  the  man  must  have  ap- 
peared in  answer  to  an  appointment. 

"  I  presume,"  Quincy  confided  to  his  cigar,  "  that 
this  is  another  case  where  we  must  first  find  the 
woman,  and  from  her  trace  down  the  man.  I  wish, 
though,  that  I  might  find  some  sign  of  Mr.  E.  B.  F. 
in  Boston."  He  allowed  his  gaze  to  rest  momen- 
tarily on  the  suitcase  beneath  his  feet.  "  Well,  we 
have  good  cause  for  hope  at  any  rate." 

When  he  entered  his  own  rooms,  shortly  after  his 
arrival  in  the  city,  he  was  astonished  to  find  Inspec- 
tor Gates  seated  there,  reading  a  magazine  and 
coolly  consuming  Quincy  *s  choicest  cigars. 

"  Hello,  Sawyer,"  came  Gates's  easy  greeting. 
"  I  was  beginning  to  be  afraid  that  you  wouldn't 
return  tonight.  Been  far?"  The  last  with  a 
glance  at  the  suitcase. 

"  No,  only  a  short  distance  out.  This  case  is 
borrowed."  He  deposited  it  in  an  inconspicuous 
corner  before  returning  to  the  table.  "  What's  up? 
Am  I  to  take  this  intrusion  as  a  social  or  a  profes- 
sional visit?  " 

Gates  grinned  and  stretched  himself  lazily.  "  I 
wish  you'd  smoke  better  cigars,  Sawyer,"  he  com- 
plained. "  But,  to  get  down  to  business,  for  my 
visit  is  strictly  of  a  professional  nature.  I  have  on 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  75 

my  hands  one  of  the  most  curious  murders,  in  point 
of  lack  of  clues,  that  I  ever  tackled,  and  I  want  your 
help/' 

"  Sorry,  Gates/'  Quincy  hastened  to  interpose, 
"  but  I  have  one  decidedly  baffling  murder  case  on 
my  hands  now,  and  I  hardly  feel  competent  to 
undertake  another  at  the  same  time." 

Gates  was  plainly  disappointed  at  the  informa- 
tion. "  Oh,  say,  that's  too  bad !  "  he  exclaimed. 
"  I've  been  counting  on  you  to  help  me  out,  and  it 
seems  to  be  a  case  where  two  heads  are  surely 
needed." 

Quincy  seated  himself  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
table  and  observed  Gates  narrowly.  A  very 
friendly  feeling  had  sprung  up  between  the  two 
men  of  late,  so  much  so  that  both  had  come  to 
enjoy  the  cases  in  which  they  co-operated. 

"  Tell  me  something  about  your  case,"  Quincy 
suggested  at  last. 

Gates  hitched  himself  about  in  his  chair.  "  The 
victim,"  he  said,  "  is  old  Mr.  Fenton  of  Newbury 
Street.  You  probably  know  of  him.  He's  the  old 
chap  who  cleaned  up  several  fortunes  two  years  ago 
on  the  stock  exchange,  and  then  had  sense  enough  to 
retire  before  he  lost  them.  His  household  consisted 
of  himself,  his  son,  and  his  two  servants,  and  that 
is  about  all  I  can  find  out  about  him.  Nobody 
s-ems  to  have  any  idea  as  to  where  he  came  from 


76     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

originally  or  what  his  past  history  may  be.  But, 
here !  Let  me  get  at  the  nub  of  the  story  first,  and 
then,  if  you  want  details,  we  can  go  into  them 
later. 

"  He  was  murdered  some  time  after  two  o'clock 
this  morning,  death  being  due  to  a  stab  wound  in 
his  side.  No  clue  whatever  seems  to  exist  that 
would  point  to  the  murderer.  According  to  the 
stories  of  the  two  servants,  they  were  awakened  at 
about  half-past  one  this  morning,  when  Fenton  re- 
turned home  from  his  club.  He  seemed  to  be  hav- 
ing trouble  with  the  door  and  made  considerable 
noise  in  closing  it,  but  both  servants  agree  that  he 
seemed  to  be  alone  and  that  they  heard  no  sound 
of  voices.  They  plainly  heard  him  go  into  the 
library  where  he  appeared  to  settle  down,  and  then 
all  was  quiet.  Shortly  after  two  o'clock,  Jones,  the 
man  servant,  was  awakened  by  what  sounded  like 
a  faint  scuffling  in  the  library.  He  became  alarmed, 
and,  rising,  he  hastily  threw  on  his  clothes  and  hur- 
ried to  that  room.  He  found  the  library  door  open, 
the  room  fully  lighted,  and  his  master  stretched 
on  the  floor,  dead,  with  a  knife  wound  in  his 
side. 

"  Jones  did  not  appear  to  lose  his  head  over  the 
affair,  for  he  first  aroused  the  cook  and  then  tele- 
phoned for  the  police.  When  the  officers  arrived 
they  found  things  to  be  just  as  I  have  described 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  77 

them,  with  the  additional  fact  that  Fenton's 
wallet,  containing  a  large  sum  of  money,  lay  on  the 
library  table,  apparently  where  he  had  placed  it. 
To  cap  the  whole  thing,  however,  and  the  weirdest 
point  of  all,  is  the  fact  that,  although  Fenton's 
money  was  untouched,  his  belt  had  been  removed 
and  carried  away." 

"  His  what  ?  "    Quincy  almost  shouted  the  words. 

Gates  started  violently  at  the  vehemence  of  the 
exclamation  and  stared  with  some  surprise  in 
Quincy's  direction.  "  His  belt,  man,  his  belt,"  he 
reiterated  with  some  show  of  irritability.  "  I'm 
sure  I  spoke  the  words  plainly  enough." 

"  There  is  no  doubt  on  that  score,"  Quincy  as- 
sured him.  "  But,  I  say,  Gates.  Do  you  know  any- 
thing about  this  son  of  Fenton's?  You  say  they 
lived  together  ?  " 

"  I  know  of  him,  yes,  although  I  have  not  yet 
met  him.  He  has  been  away  from  the  house  since 
last  night,  and  has  not  yet  been  located.  But,  what 
of  him?" 

"  What  is  his  name  ?    Do  you  know  that  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it  is  Edgar.  Edgar  Bronson  Fenton. 
But  what  in  the  world  is  the  matter  with  you, 
man  ?  Do  you  know  him  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  know  him,"  Quincy  replied,  lean- 
ing weakly  back  in  his  chair,  "  and  there  is  nothing 
the  matter  with  me  except  that  I  am  going  to  act 


78     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

with  you  on  this  case."  He  leaned  forward  im- 
pressively and  spoke  the  final  words  distinctly  into 
the  inspector's  face.  "  Edgar  Bronson  Fenton  was 
murdered  in  Yokum  last  evening  for  no  apparent 
reason  other  than  the  desire  of  some  person  to  se- 
cure Fenton's  belt.  His  belt  was  stolen.  That  is 
his  suitcase  which  I  just  brought  in." 

Incredulity  and  astonishment  seemed  to  strug- 
gle for  supremacy  in  the  inspector's  face.  "  Jump- 
ing Jerusalem!  Sawyer,  what  are  we  getting 
into?  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Has  somebody  set  out  with 
the  intention  of  annihilating  the  Fentons  and  col- 
lecting their  belts  as  souvenirs,  after  the  manner  in 
which  the  early  Indians  collected  scalps?  What  do 
you  make  of  this  thing?  " 

"  Perhaps  the  suitcase  will  show  us,"  Qaiincy  sug- 
gested, placing  it  on  the  table  between  them. 

He  quickly  unfastened  the  straps  of  the  case  and 
tried  the  lock.  It  sprang  back  at  his  touch  and  he 
threw  open  the  cover.  With  one  accord  the  two 
men  bent  forward  eagerly.  As  they  had  expected, 
the  case  contained  the  usual  collection  of  toilet  ar- 
ticles and  clothing,  but  it  also  contained  one  other 
article  which  caught  their  attention  at  once,  it  be- 
ing an  empty  leather  holster,  of  the  square  type 
made  expressly  to  fit  into  a  man's  back  pocket. 

"  Hm,"  mused  Gates,  as  he  raised  the  holster. 
"  Young  Fenton  went  armed,  did  he?  Evidently  he 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  79 

expected,  or  was  at  least  prepared  for,  trouble.  So 
long  as  the  examiner  failed  to  find  the  pistol  in  his 
search,  Sawyer,  I  suppose  the  murderer  must  have 
carried  that  away  also." 

"  It  is  possible,"  Quincy  replied.  "  Or  the  pistol 
may  have  been  dropped  at  the  spot  where  the  as- 
sault occurred.  Perhaps  young  Fenton,  expecting 
trouble,  was  walking  with  the  pistol  in  his  hand  at 
the  time  when  he  was  struck  down." 

They  laid  the  holster  carefully  aside  and  dug 
deeper  into  the  suitcase,  removing  all  the  articles 
which  seemed  to  have  no  bearing  on  the  matter  un- 
til the  case  lay  empty  before  them.  Gates  ran  his 
hand  into  the  pocket  of  the  cover,  and  his  form 
seemed  to  stiffen  writh  anticipation  as  he  drew  out 
a  folded  sheet  of  paper.  He  opened  the  sheet  and 
hastily  read  the  lines  it  contained,  after  which  he 
passed  the  sheet  with  a  quick  jerk  to  Quincy. 

"  Read  that,"  he  commanded. 

Holding  it  beneath  the  light  Quincy  read : 

"  '  Bring  it  to  Yokum  tomorrow  night.  I'll  meet 
you  at  the  same  place.  This  is  the  last  opportunity 
you'll  have,  so  take  warning.  H.  B.' 

"  H.  B.,  Henry  Brown,"  Quincy  mused.  "  I 
wonder  if  it  can  be  possible." 

"What  are  you  talking  about?"  Gates  de- 
manded. "  Let  me  in  on  the  rest  of  the  story, 
Sawyer." 


80     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

In  a  few  words  Quincy  did  so.  "  The  man  on 
whose  land  the  body  was  found  is  named  Henry 
Brown/'  he  concluded ;  "  but  what  I  am  trying  to 
understand,  Gates,  is  why  the  murderer  took  the 
trouble  to  bury  young  Fenton's  body." 

"  He  wanted  to  hide  it,  perhaps,"  Gates  sug- 
gested. "  But  why  should  he  have  undertaken  to 
hide  it  right  in  Brown's  dooryard  when  he  had 
whole  acres  of  barren  land  to  dig  in?  " 

"  That  isn't  the  point,"  Quincy  insisted.  "  He 
may  have  buried  it  practically  on  the  very  spot 
where  the  murder  was  committed,  for  it  would 
have  been  a  long,  hard  haul  to  have  dragged  it  off 
into  the  woods.  What  I  want  to  get  at,  though,  is 
why  he  should  have  buried  it  at  all.  Why  didn't 
he  leave  it  just  where  it  fell  ?  He  must  have  known 
that  sooner  or  later  somebody  from  Brown's  house- 
hold would  have  discovered  the  freshly  turned  earth, 
which  would  inevitably  result  in  a  natural  curiosity 
on  their  part  to  discover  why  the  earth  had  been 
turned  over.  But,  above  all,  if  he  knew  that  Brown 
possessed  a  fox  terrier  he  must  have  been  certain 
that  the  dog  would  find  the  place  and  attract  at- 
tention to  it.  Furthermore,  Gates,  where  did  the 
murderer  secure  the  tools  with  which  to  dig? 
He  certainly  couldn't  have  carried  them  with 
him." 

Gates  shrugged  his  shoulders  in  token  of  acknow- 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  81 

ledged  lack  of  comprehension.  "  He  might  have 
stolen  them  from  Brown's  barn,"  he  said,  but  with- 
out apparent  conviction. 

"  Yes,  he  might  have  done  that,"  Quincy  ad- 
mitted. "  But  see  here,  Gates,  doesn't  everything 
seem  to  point  to  the  fact  that  Brown  had  every  op- 
portunity to  do  the  deed  himself?  There  is  the 
note  with  Brown's  initials,  although  we  do  not  as 
yet  know,  of  course,  that  it  is  in  his  handwriting. 
The  body  was  found  buried  on  Brown's  land.  Why 
else  should  young  Fenton  have  been  on  that  land,  so 
close  to  Brown's  house,  unless  it  was  for  the  pur- 
pose of  meeting  Brown?  The  body  was  buried. 
Why?  Because  Brown  wished  to  find  it  himself 
and  took  that  method  to  insure  himself  against  the 
possibility  of  some  other  person  making  the  dis- 
covery. If  the  body  was  discovered  above  ground 
people  would  be  disposed  to  suggest  that  Brown 
might  be  guilty ;  but  if  it  was  discovered  by  Brown 
himself,  buried  within  a  stone's  throw  of  his  house, 
the  general  tendency  would  be  to  argue  that  he 
could  have  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  murder  and 
was  merely  a  victim  of  circumstances.  Mind,  I  do 
not  say  that  I  suspect  Brown.  I  am  merely  set- 
ting forth  a  possibility  so  that  we  may  have  it 
clearly  in  our  minds  when  we  begin  our  search. 
There  is  still  one  important  question  to  be  answered. 
If  Brown  killed  young  Fenton,  who  killed  the  old 


82    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

man?  Also,  why  were  the  belts  taken?  That  fact 
points  to  the  probability  of  the  murders  being  com- 
mitted for  the  same  purpose  and  by  one  person  or 
set  of  accomplices.  I  fancy,  Gates,  that  we  have  a 
deep  problem  to  solve,  and  I  would  suggest  that  we 
now  turn  in  for  the  night  so  as  to  be  able  to  get  an 
early  start  in  the  morning." 

"  Where  shall  we  begin  ?  "  Gates  inquired. 

"  I  imagine  that  the  best  place  would  be  at  Fen- 
ton's  house  on  Newbury  Street.  After  that  we 
can  use  our  own  judgment,  and  go  either  to  Yokum 
or  to  whatever  place  may  be  suggested  to  us  as 
matters  develop." 

Early  the  following  morning  Quincy  and  Gates 
breakfasted  hurriedly  and  proceeded  at  once  to  the 
Fenton  home.  The  house  was  silent  and  seemingly 
lifeless,  save  for  the  man  servant,  wiho  was  making 
preparations  for  receiving  young  Fenton's  body 
which,  in  response  to  several  lengthy  telephone  con- 
versations on  the  part  of  Gates,  had  been  sent  for. 
Jones  seemed  slightly  annoyed  at  the  appearance 
of  the  two  detectives,  and  the  consequent  interrup- 
tion of  his  work,  but  he  appeared  to  accept  the 
pair  as  a  necessary  evil  and  courteously  ushered 
them  into  the  library,  which,  except  for  the  re- 
moval of  the  elder  Fenton's  body,  had  been  left  in 
precisely  the  same  condition  as  at  the  time  of  the 
murder. 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  83 

"  You  need  not  wait  here,  Jones,"  Gates  re- 
marked, noting  the  man's  evident  impatience. 
"  Continue  with  your  work  and  we  will  call  you  if 
you  are  needed." 

When  the  man  had  departed  Quincy  glanced 
searchingly  about  the  room.  The  library  was  small, 
but  not  cramped,  and  was  fitted  with  handsome 
leather-upholstered  furniture.  Along  its  sides  ran 
well-filled  bookcases,  and  in  one  corner  stood  a 
large  desk,  its  top  covered  with  neat  piles  of  books 
and  periodicals.  In  the  very  centre  of  the  room 
stood  the  table,  the  abiding  place,  apparently,  of 
the  numerous  daily  papers  with  which  Fenton  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  supplying  himself.  On  this 
table,  also,  exactly  as  Gates  had  previously  de- 
scribed, lay  a  capacious  leather  wallet. 

11  Has  that  been  examined,  Gates  ?  "  Quincy  in- 
quired, pointing  toward  the  wallet. 

"  Yes,  but  it  contained  nothing  aside  from  sev- 
eral hundred  dollars  in  bills.  There  are  no  papers 
which  might  furnish  us  with  even  a  hint.  Neither 
were  there  any  papers  in  his  pockets." 

Quincy  searched  his  companion  a  moment  with 
narrowed  eyes.  "  Gates,"  he  demanded,  "  do  you 
suppose  it  is  by  coincidence  or  design  that  no  papers 
of  any  sort  have  been  found  on  either  of  the 
bodies?" 

Gates    shook   his   head   slowly.      "  Sawyer,"   he 


84    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

replied.  "  The  more  I  think  about  this  case  the 
less  I  understand  it." 

Without  further  loss  of  time  they  devoted  them- 
selves diligently  to  the  task  of  searching  the  room 
down  to  its  most  minute  detail.  The  desk  was  ex- 
amined from  top  to  bottom,  and  then  searched  for 
possible  secret  drawers;  the  book  -shelves  were 
cleared  and  searched;  every  drawer  in  the  room 
was  emptied;  but,  in  spite  of  their  utrnqst  care  and 
diligence  the  search  was  unrewarded.  Not  a  single 
clue,  nor  even  the  slightest  piece  of  valuable  in- 
formation, were  'they  able  to  discover.  At  length, 
with  a  sigh  of  recognized  failure,  Quincy  perched 
himself  on  the  edge  of  the  library  table  and  toyed 
carelessly  with  a  paper  knife  on  which  his  hand  had 
chanced  to  rest. 

"  You  did  not  find  the  knife  with  which  Fenton 
was  stabbed,  did  you,  Gates  ?  "  he  inquired,  after  a 
thoughtful  pause. 

"  No,"  Gates  replied  from  the  floor,  where  he 
was  busily  prodding  the  carpet.  "  The  medical  ex- 
aminer <said  that  from  the  nature  of  the  wound  he 
must  have  been  stabbed  with  some  sort  of  a  curved- 
bladed  knife.  From  his  description  I  should  think 
it  must  have  been  done  with  one  of  those  old-time 
Saracen  daggers  you  see  in  pictures  of  the  middle 
ages." 

Quincy  did  not  reply  at  once,  his  mind  being  busy 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  85 

with  the  paper  knife,  which  had  now  caught  his 
more  concentrated  attention.  A  puzzled  frown 
wrinkled  his  forehead,  and  his  eyes  were  narrowed 
to  mere  slits,  as  was  his  habit  when  in  deep  study. 
Suddenly  he  sprang  to  the  floor  and  crossed  ha- 
stily to  the  window,  where  he  carefully  examined 
the  knife,  his  interest  seeming  to  increase  until  it 
closely  approached  suppressed  excitement. 

"  Gates,"  he  called  sharply.    "  Gates,  come  here." 

With  a  bound  Gates  was  at  his  side,  anticipation 
in  his  eyes.  "  What  is  it?  "  he  questioned  eagerly. 
"  Do  you  think  you  have  found  the  knife?  " 

"  No,  no,  not  the  knife,  but  a  knife,"  Quincy  re- 
plied. "  But,  look  at  it,  Gates.  Don't  you  see  any- 
thing interesting  about  it?" 

"  It  looks  like  one  of  those  daggers  I  just  de- 
scribed," Gates  responded  slowly. 

"  It  is,  Gates.  It's  a  Damascus  dagger.  But 
look  at  its  hilt.  Don't  you  see  the  engraving 
there?" 

Gates  squinted  thoughtfully  at  the  point  indi- 
cated. "  I  can  see  some  queer  letters  there,"  he 
admitted  slowly,  "  but  I  can't  quite  make  them  out. 
They  look  something  like  H.  B.,  but  I  can't  be 
sure." 

"They  are  the  letters  H.  B.,"  Quincy  stated. 
"  They  are  engraved  in  Spanish  script,  and  I  should 
say  that  the  engraving  must  have  been  done  a  cen- 


86    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

tury  or  two  ago,  although  the  dagger,  of  course, 
is  much  older  than  that.  We  now  have  another 
angle  on  H.  B.,  Gates,  and  this  angle  raises  a 
new  question.  Is  H.  B.  ancient  or  modern,  and  if 
he  is  modern,  how  came  his  initials  here?  In  other 
words,  I  believe  we  have  come  to  a  point  where  we 
must  discover  whether  H.  B.  is  an  individual,  or 
some  sort  of  a  secret  band,  perhaps  several  cen- 
turies old.  That  dagger,  Gates,  regardless  of  its 
blade,  and  considering  only  its  jewelled  hilt  and  the 
gold  scroll  work,  must  be  worth  hundreds  if  not 
thousands  of  dollars.  Therefore,  if  H.  B.  is  an  in- 
dividual, he  must  be  a  wealthy  one,  and,  if  he  owns 
that  dagger,  how  does  it  happen  that  Fenton  left 
it  carelessly  lying  about  on  his  library  table  where 
it  has  patently  served  as  a  paper  knife  ?  " 

"  Are  you  sure  that  is  not  the  knife  with  which 
Fenton  was  stabbed  ?  " 

"  Positive.  A  man  cannot  stab  another  man  and 
then  drop  his  knife  on  a  table  without  leaving 
some  signs.  I  doubt  if  that  dagger,  considering  the 
presence  of  the  jewels,  particularly  the  pearls, 
could  have  been  cleaned,  after  use  of  that  nature, 
without  washing.  You  will  notice  that  there  is 
not  the  faintest  sign  of  a  stain  upon  it." 

"  Possibly  it  has  a  mate,"  Gates  hazarded. 

"  Undoubtedly  it  has.  Our  problem  is  now  to 
discover  the  owner  of  the  mate,  and  to  ascertain 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  87 

where  both  were  on  the  night  of  the  murder.  It 
seems,  Gates,  that  if  we  can  discover  H.  B.  we 
shall  have  a  powerful  side-light  on  the  murder  of 
the  Fentons.  Now,  suppose  you  call  Jones  and 
let  us  question  him." 

Jones  seemed  somewhat  agitated  when  he  stood 
before  them,  in  response  to  a  summons  from  Gates, 
but  whether  the  agitation  came  from  impatience  to 
be  again  at  his  work  or  from  fear  of  the  examina- 
tion Quincy  could  not  satisfactorily  decide.  Of  one 
thing  he  felt  reasonably  convinced,  and  that  was 
that  Jones  had  no  hand  in  the  murder  and  that  he 
knew  nothing  of  the  identity  of  the  murderer. 

"  Jones,"  Quincy  asked,  "  were  these  windows 
locked  when  you  entered  this  room  after  the 
murder  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,"  Jones  replied  without  hesitation. 
"  They  were  all  closed,  but  they  were  not  locked." 

"  Were  they  habitually  left  unlocked?  " 

"  I  think  not,  sir.  Mr.  Fenton  assumed  the  en- 
tire care  of  them,  so  I  cannot  answer  for  certain.  I 
think  he  always  locked  them." 

"  How  long  have  you  been  with  Mr.  Fenton, 
Jones  ?  " 

"  About  two  years,  sir.  Ever  since  he  took  this 
house."  Jones's  diffidence  seemed  to  be  falling 
awav  somewhat  under  the  sound  of  his  own 


88    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  Do  you  know  anything  about  where  he  came 
from  originally?  Did  you  ever  chance  to  hear 
either  Mr.  Fenton  or  his  son  refer  to  a  former 
place  of  residence  ?  " 

"  No,  sir.  I  have  been  under  the  impression 
that  Mr.  Fenton  came  to  Boston  when  Mr.  Edgar 
was  quite  young,  and  the  chances  are  that  Mr. 
Edgar  would  have  remembered  very  little  of  his 
former  life.  Mr.  Fenton  never  had  any  visitors 
Who  seemed  to  have  known  him  before  he  came 
here,  and  I  never  heard  him  mention  any  friends 
aside  from  his  business  acquaintances  in  Bos- 
ton.'' 

"  Have  you  noticed  any  peculiarity  about  either 
Mr.  Fenton  or  his  son  of  late?  " 

Jones  hesitated  slightly,  and  seemed  puzzled. 
"  Yes,  sir,"  he  replied  slowly,  "  I  have.  They  have 
seemed  nervous,  almost  frightened,  or  at  least  Mr. 
Fenton  has.  I  thought,  though,  that  it  might  be 
due  to  overwork  and  did  not  pay  any  attention  to 
it/' 

"  Did  their  mail  come  here  or  was  it  delivered  at 
Mr.  Fenton's  office?" 

"  At  the  office,  sir.  The  only  letter  that  was  ever 
delivered  here  came  about  two  weeks  ago.  That 
was  about  the  time  that  Mr.  Fenton  began  to  ap- 
pear nervous." 

"  Did  you  chance  to  notice  the  postmark  on  that 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  89 

letter?"  Ouincy's  tone  was  becoming  more  and 
more  eager. 

"  Yes,  sir.  It  was  marked  Lurie,  Vermont.  I 
handed  it  to  Mr.  Fenton  when  he  returned  that 
evening  and  he  put  it  in  his  pocket.  I  have  never 
seen  it  since." 

"  And  you  have  heard  no  bit  of  conversation 
since  that  time  that  struck  you  as  being  peculiar 
or  worthy  of  note  ?  " 

"  There  was  one  remark  I  chanced  to  overhear. 
It  did  not  sound  particularly  strange  at  the  time, 
and  I  do  not  know  whether  it  will  seem  significant 
to  you  now;  but  you  can  judge  for  yourself.  Late 
in  the  afternoon  before  Mr.  Fenton  was  killed,  he 
and  Mr.  Edgar  were  in  the  library  together.  From 
the  tones  of  their  voices,  and  the  way  each  ap- 
peared to  be  talking  for  long  intervals  at  a  stretch, 
I  judged  that  they  were  arguing  about  something. 
After  a  while  Mr.  Edgar  started  to  leave  the  room 
and,  as  he  stood  in  the  doorway,  I  heard  him  say : 
'  Well,  I'm  going  out  tonight  and  settle  it  with 
him.'  Mr.  Fenton  seemed  worried,  and  he  told 
Mr.  Edgar  to  look  out  because  he,  the  man  they 
were  talking  about,  was  dangerous.  Then  Mr. 
Edgar  said :  '  You're  not  going  to  give  it  up  to  him 
are  you  ?  '  When  Mr.  Fenton  replied  that  he  surely 
had  no  such  intention,  Mr.  Edgar  answered :  '  I  shall 
have  my  revolver/  and  closed  the  door.  That  was 


90     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

the  only  strange  conversation  I  ever  overheard, 
sir." 

"  Did  you  ever  notice  any  peculiarity  about  their 
belts?"  Quincy  continued,  and  Gates  leaned  for- 
ward intently  at  the  question. 

"  Yes,  sir.  They  had  one  belt  which  was  very 
peculiar,  and  sometimes  Mr.  Fenton,  and  some- 
times Mr.  Edgar,  wore  it.  One  or  the  other  of 
them  had  it  always.  It  was  a  very  heavy  belt  with 
a  gold  buckle,  and  it  looked  very  old.  I  never  saw 
one  like  it  anywhere  else,  and  I  imagine  that  it  was 
quite  valuable  because  they  guarded  it  with  extreme 
care.  I  am  not  certain  who  had  it  on  the  night  of 
the  murder,  but  I  think  it  was  Mr.  Fenton.  The 
belt  was  of  brown  leather,  and  the  buckle  was  all 
covered  with  queer  marks  that  looked  as  though 
they  might  have  been  letters  of  some  strange  for- 
eign language.  I  could  tell  it  anywhere  if  I  should 
see  it  again." 

"  You  say  you  do  not  know  which  of  the  men 
had  it  on  that  particular  night  and,  for  that  matter, 
you  cannot  tell,  can  you,  whether  either  was  wear- 
ing it?" 

"  No,  sir.  They  had  two  other  belts  that  looked 
very  much  like  it,  and  when  one  of  them  was  wear- 
ing the  real  belt  the  other  always  wore  one  of  the 
copies." 

"  Oh,  I  see.     Why  didn't  you  tell  us  that  in  the 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  91 

first  place?  There  seems  a  strong  possibility  under 
these  circumstances  that  neither  may  have  worn 
it  at  that  particular  time." 

"  I  think  one  of  them  must  have  'had  it,  sir,  be- 
cause I  have  found  one  of  the  copies  upstairs  in 
Mr.  Fenton's  room.  The  other  copy  is  gone,  and  I 
think  it  very  likely  that  the  real  belt  is  gone  also." 

"  Were  the  copies  exact  reproductions  of  the  real 
belt?" 

"  No,  they  were  merely  heavy  belts  with  plated 
buckles.  At  a  distance,  or  to  a  person  unfamiliar 
with  them,  they  looked  much  like  the  real  belt;  but, 
if  you  were  familiar  with  the  real  belt,  you  could 
readily  tell  the  difference  when  you  were  close  to 
the  copies." 

For  some  time  Quincy  sat  thinking  deeply,  while 
Gates  made  notes  in  an  abstracted  manner  and 
Jones  fidgeted  about  uneasily. 

"  You  may  go  now,  Jones,"  Quincy  finally  re- 
marked. "If  you  should  chance  to  think  of  any 
other  bits  of  information  which  have  slipped  your 
mind  for  the  present,  be  sure  and  tell  us  of  them." 
He  remained  silent  until  after  Jones's  departure  and 
then  addressed  Gates.  "  Did  you  ever  hear  of 
Lurie,  Vermont?  If  so,  where  is  it?" 

"  I  have  never  heard  of  the  place  nor  have  I 
the  faintest  idea  as  to  where  it  may  be,"  Gates  re- 
plied. "  There  must  be  an  atlas  somewhere  in  this 


92     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

collection  of  books,  though,  so  let's  hunt  the  place 
up." 

They  discovered  the  atlas  and  remained  silent  for 
a  brief  space  of  time  while  each  pored  over  <a  dif- 
ferent section  of  the  map  of  Vermont.  At  last 
Gates  placed  his  finger  on  the  upper  edge  of  the 
map.  "  Here's  a  place  of  that  name,"  he  remarked; 
"  but  it's  so  far  up  I  can't  tell  for  certain  whether 
it's  in  Vermont  or  in  Canada.  But  how  the  deuce 
is  it  possible  for  a  person  to  get  in  and  out  of  the 
place?  There  doesn't  seem  to  be  the  least  sign  of 
a  railroad  within  ten  miles." 

"  By  stage,  probably,"  replied  Quincy,  carefully 
examining  the  territory  immediately  surrounding 
Lurie  on  the  map.  "  And  probably  there  is  only  one 
stage  a  day,  which  may  run  either  in  the  morning 
or  at  night,  it  being  safe  to  say,  however,  that  it 
will  run  at  the  time  opposite  the  time  of  our 
arrival." 

"  So  we  are  going  up,  are  we?  "  Gates  remarked. 
"  It  does  seem  to  be  the  only  clue  we  have  at  pres- 
ent, and,  if  Fenton  ever  was  known  there,  we  cer- 
tainly should  not  experience  any  difficulty  in  discov- 
ering the  fact.  Probably  there  aren't  above  three 
hundred  people  there.  But  I  say,  Sawyer.  What 
about  Henry  Brown  ?  " 

"  We  must  by  all  means  keep  a  watch  over  Mr. 
Brown.  I  would  leave  you  behind  to  keep  tabs  on 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  93 

him,  Gates,  except  for  the  fact  that  I  think  two 
of  us  may  be  needed  in  Vermont.  That  village  is 
likely  to  be  scattered  and  it  may  take  time  for  us 
to  locate  our  clue.  In  that  case,  of  course,  we  shall 
be  able  to  divide  the  work,  and  do  it  much  more 
rapidly.  We  must  run  down  to  Yokum  today 
before  we  go  to  Vermont.  Brown's  premises  have 
not  been  examined  closely  enough,  and  I  shall  be 
uneasy  until  the  work  has  been  more  carefully 
attended  to." 

"  I  have  what  I  think  is  a  good  idea,  Sawyer," 
Gates  volunteered.  "  Suppose  that,  when  we  go 
down  today,  I  take  along  one  of  my  men.  Then, 
after  we  have  made  our  examination,  we  can  leave 
him  behind  to  look  wise  and  keep  himself  in  the 
public  eye.  That  will  serve  two  purposes.  It  will 
keep  Brown  very  much  interested  at  home,  pro- 
vided he  knows  anything  of  the  affair,  and  it  will 
also  serve  to  distract  attention  from  us  when  we 
slip  out  to  make  our  Vermont  trip.  We  shall  not 
want  any  undue  publicity  to  attend  us  to  Lurie." 

"  A  good  idea,  Gates,"  Quincy  answered  approv- 
ingly. "  That  will  provide  for  every  detail,  and 
will  leave  us  free  to  pursue  whatever  clues  we  may 
hit  upon.  Now  let  us  run  down  to  Yokum  and  ex- 
amine the  ground  as  thoroughly  as  will  be  possible 
in  the  short  time  allowed  us.  I  do  not  think  we 
had  best  stay  there  later  than  the  middle  of  the 


94     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

afternoon  because,  if  there  is  any  information  to 
be  discovered  in  Vermont,  the  quicker  we  secure  it 
the  better  able  we  shall  be  to  cope  with  this  matter. 
What  do  you  think  of  Jones?  " 

"  I  think  he  is  to  be  trusted,"  Gates  replied 
quickly. 

"  So  do  I.  Let  us  arrange  with  him  to  remain  in 
the  house  until  we  return,  or  until  he  hears  from 
us.  That  will  give  us  a  means  of  checking  up  all 
that  may  happen  here.  Now  call  up  your  man  and 
have  him  meet  us  at  the  station." 

When  Quincy  and  Gates,  with  the  "  shadow  " 
from  headquarters,  descended  from  a  decrepit  de- 
pot carriage  at  Brown's  home  in  Yokum,  Brown 
himself  immediately  appeared  upon  the  piazza,.  He 
greeted  them  with  civility,  but  seemed  to  entertain 
a  pronounced  suspicion  in  regard  to  Gates  and  the 
third  man. 

"  This,  Mr.  Brown,"  said  Quincy,  indicating  the 
"  shadow,"  "  is  Mr.  Anderson.  He  is  to  assist  in 
this  case,  and  will  assume  active  charge  of  the  in- 
vestigation here  in  Yokum." 

Brown  showed  evident  dislike  for  the  arrange- 
ment. "  But  I  thought  I  engaged  you  to  investi- 
gate the  case,"  he  protested.  "  I  do  not  want  an 
assistant  working  on  it.  It  is  far  too  important  a 
matter." 

"  The  importance  of  the  case  is  the  very  reason 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  95 

why  an  assistant  is  being  left  here,  Mr.  Brown," 
Quincy  stated  somewhat  ambiguously.  "  In  fact, 
the  case  is  far  more  important  than  you  realize. 
I  shall  be  continually  at  work  on  it,  but  I  shall  be 
unable  to  spend  my  time  here.  My  clues,  you 
know,  will  demand  much  of  my  time;  but  it  is 
necessary  for  me  to  be  always  reliably  informed  of 
developments  at  this  end." 

Brown  seemed  partially  satisfied  by  the  state- 
ment, meaningless  as  it  was,  and  glanced  toward 
Gates,  whom  Quincy  carelessly  introduced  as  an- 
otfoer  assistant  who  would  work  outside  the  village. 

"  Now,  Mr.  Brown,"  he  continued,  "  have  you 
missed  any  farming  tools  from  your  barn  or  tool 
house?" 

"  I  can't  say  whether  any  have  been  missed  or 
not,"  Brown  replied,  openly  mystified.  "  But  I 
have  nothing  to  do  with  the  tools.  Wait  a  moment 
until  I  call  my  farmer." 

When  the  farmer  had  been  summoned,  and  had 
appeared,  Quincy  repeated  his  question.  For  a  mo- 
ment the  man  seemed  silenced  by  surprise,  but  he 
quickly  recovered  his  speech. 

"  No,"  he  replied,  "  there  have  been  none  miss- 
ing. May  I  inquire  why  you  ask?" 

"  Certainly,"  Quincy  replied  courteously,  recog- 
nizing that  the  independence  of  a  New  England 
farmer  is  not  to  be  lightly  disregarded.  "  I  ask  be- 


96     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

cause  of  the  fact  that  whoever  buried  the  body 
which  was  discovered  here  must  necessarily  have 
had  recourse  to  your  tool  house  in  order  to  have 
procured  the  means  with  which  to  do  the  work." 

The  force  of  the  statement  seemed  to  strike  the 
man  at  once,  and  almost  before  Quincy  had  finished 
speaking  he  replied :  "  There  have  been  no  tools 
missing;  but,  now  that  you  mention  it,  I  remember 
finding  a  pick  and  a  shovel  thrown  into  one  cor- 
ner of  the  tool  house  yesterday  morning.  When 
I  picked  them  up  to  return  them  to  their  places  I 
noticed  that  there  was  fresh  earth  on  them  both. 
And  say  —  "  He  broke  off  abruptly  to  dig  eagerly 
into  a  back  pocket  —  "I  wonder  if  this  thing  is 
connected  with  the  affair,"  and  he  produced  an 
automatic  pistol. 

"Where  did  you  find  that?"  demanded  Quincy 
and  Gates  almost  in  a  breath. 

"  I  found  it  this  morning  about  twenty  feet  in 
front  of  the  tool  house.  I  intended  to  turn  it  over 
to  Mr.  Brown,  but  I  forgot  about  it." 

"  That  pistol  is  mine,"  Brown  suddenly  affirmed, 
to  the  complete  astonishment  of  all.  "  I  lost  it  out 
of  my  pocket  last  night  when  I  went  down  toward 
the  hen  houses  thinking  I  heard  a  fox  there."  He 
held  out  his  hand  and  the  farmer,  with  doubt  plainly 
visible  in  his  eyes,  slowly  relinquished  the  pistol. 

Brown  quietly  dropped  it  in  his  pocket  and,  with- 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  97 

out  comment,  Quincy  and  Gates  turned  away  for 
their  investigation.  Throughout  the  early  portion 
of  the  afternoon  they  searched  the  land  imme- 
diately surrounding  the  spot  where  the  body  had 
been  discovered,  but  their  search  proved  fruitless. 
Not  a  single  clue  could  they  discover,  nor  even  a 
circumstance  which  might  be  twisted  into  a  clue. 
At  last  they  reluctantly  abandoned  the  search  and, 
after  carefully  instructing  Anderson,  made  their 
way  back  to  Boston. 

Arriving  in  the  city  they  made  their  way  directly 
to  Quincy's  rooms,  where  they  proposed  making 
their  final  preparations  before  taking  the  early  eve- 
ning accommodation  train  which  would  drop  them 
at  the  railroad  point  nearest  to  Lurie.  Once  in  the 
rooms,  Quincy,  to  the  astonishment  of  Gates,  im- 
mediately threw  open  Edgar  Fenton's  suitcase  and 
produced  therefrom  the  empty  leather  holster.  He 
then  completely  dumfounded  his  companion  by 
coolly  drawing  from  his  pocket  the  automatic  pistol 
which  had  been  claimed  by  Brown  that  after- 
noon. 

"How  in  the  world  did  you  get  that?"  Gates 
gasped,  when  he  had  sufficiently  recovered  his 
breath. 

"  Do  you  know,  Gates  ?  "  Quincy  replied  with  a 
low  chuckle,  "  that  I  sometimes  think  I  have  missed 
my  calling?  I  think  I  would  have  made  an  excel- 


98     QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

lent  pickpocket  if  my  abilities  had  only  been  prop- 
erly developed  early  in  life." 

He  paused  a  moment  with  the  pistol  in  his  hand, 
and  then  dropped  it  into  the  holster.  To  every 
crease  and  line,  which  long  use  had  worn  in  the 
holster,  the  pistol  exactly  conformed. 

"  Whew !  "  Gates  whistled,  after  a  brief  pause, 
during  which  he  had  grasped  the  full  significance 
of  tihe  facts.  "  Shall  we  go  to  Vermont  ?  " 

"  We  certainly  shall,"  Quincy  replied  with  con- 
viction. "  This  is  important,  but  it  does  not  close 
the  case  by  any  means." 

The  accommodation  train  for  the  minor  stations 
of  Northern  Vermont  makes  its  way  by  easy  stages, 
which  is  pefhaps  one  reason  why  its  run  is  made  at 
night.  For,  as  Gates  impatiently  pointed  out,  so 
slow  is  it  that  its  being  placed  on  the  tracks  in 
the  daytime  would  completely  tie  up  all  traffic  and 
block  the  line  from  end  to  end.  As  it  crept  jerkily 
over  the  rails  on  the  particular  run  in  question, 
Quincy  and  Gates,  sprawled  sleepily  over  two  seats 
in  the  smoker,  kept  up  a  desultory  conversation 
on  almost  every  subject  imaginable  except  the  object 
of  their  trip.  Frequently  their  eyes  wandered  lazily 
over  their  fellow-passengers  in  the  car,  but  these  in- 
termittent scrutinies  seemed  more  the  result  of  idle 
curiosity  than  of  professional  interest.  In  fact,  their 
travelling  companions  presented  anything  rather 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  99 

than  an  appearance  liable  to  arouse  interest,  being 
nearly  all  asleep,  propped  in  various  positions  and 
emitting  the  usual  gamut  of  peculiar  sounds.  One 
man  only,  an  elderly  gentleman  in  the  forward  por- 
tion of  the  car,  showed  any  signs  of  wakefulness, 
and  those  only  at  rare  intervals  when  he  would 
raise  up  to  gaze  'hopefully  through  the  window  at 
a  station,  only  to  invariably  sink  back  again  with  a 
resigned  sigh. 

"  The  old  chap  down  front  seems  uneasy,"  Gates 
remarked,  eyeing  the  man  with  quiet  amusement. 
"  He  probably  isn't  used  to  sleeping  on  the  seats 
of  day  coaches." 

"  Well,  we  won't  be  obliged  to  perch  on  this  one 
much  longer,  glory  be,"  Quincy  groaned,  stirring 
uneasily.  "  The  next  stop  is  ours." 

"  Yes,  and  then  ten  miles  by  stage,"  Gates  re- 
plied dismally.  "  Do  we  go  there  tonight?  " 

"  We  do  not,"  Quincy  replied  emphatically. 
"  We  sleep  in  one  of  the  hotels  tonight  and  make 
the  stage  trip  tomorrow.  But,  come  on.  Here  we 
are,  at  last." 

With  much  stretching  of  cramped  muscles  they 
swung  off  the  train,  almost  unconsciously  taking 
note  of  the  other  passengers  who  descended  from 
their  car.  There  were  two;  the  restless  old  gentle- 
man to  wihom  their  attention  had  been  drawn  and 
a  man  of  foreign  appearance,  both  of  whom  imme- 


100  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

diately  disappeared,  going  in  opposite  directions. 
Quincy  and  Gates  did  not  tarry  in  the  station,  but 
made  their  way  immediately  to  the  nearest  hotel 
where  they  engaged  rooms,  and  within  an  incred- 
ibly short  time  were  both  lost  in  the  profound  sleep 
of  complete  weariness. 

Toward  morning,  however,  Quincy  was  sud- 
denly brought  out  of  'his  sleep  by  the  sounds  of  a 
terrific  commotion  which  originated,  apparently,  in 
Gates'  room.  As  he  sprang  from  his  bed,  and 
groped  hastily  for  his  trousers,  he  could  plainly 
hear  the  sound  of  scuffling,  followed  by  the  crash 
of  overturned  furniture  and  numerous  grunts, 
groans  and  exclamations.  He  rushed  through  the 
door  of  his  room,  groping  wildly  for  his  revolver 
and  upbraiding  himself  for  carelessness  because  it 
was  nowhere  to  be  found.  At  the  far  end  of  the 
corridor  he  could  hear  the  sound  of  hastily  opened 
doors  and  startled  conversation,  but  he  paused  for 
neither  questions  nor  explanations,  covering  the 
distance  between  his  own  and  Gates'  doors  with 
two  sharp  bounds. 

As  he  leaped  into  the  inspector's  room  the  sounds 
increased  in  violence,  and  the  utter  darkness  of  the 
place  exaggerated  them  until  it  seemed  as  though 
the  room  was  filled  with  fighting  men.  Vainly 
Quincy  groped  about  in  search  of  the  combatants. 
He  could  plainly  hear  them  straining  and  tugging 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  101 

at  each  other,  could  hear  their  laboured  breaths  and 
now  and  then  the  crash  of  some  unlucky  piece  of 
furniture,  but,  small  as  the  room  was,  he  could  not 
seem  to  reach  them. 

''Gates,  Gates,"  he  shouted,  "where  are  you?" 

"  Over  here  in  the  corner,"  came  Gates'  reply, 
the  words  sounding  jerky  and  disconnected  through 
his  panting  lips.  "  Look  out,  Sawyer !  "  he  yelled, 
almost  immediately  afterward.  "  He's  going  to 
shoot." 

Although  unable  to  see,  himself,  Quincy  took 
no  chances  on  the  ability  of  the  assailant  to  do 
so,  and  dropped  instantly  to  one  knee.  As  he  did 
so  there  came  the  flash  of  a  revolver,  followed  by 
a  crashing  report,  and  he  heard  a  bullet  drone 
sharply  over  his  head  and  thud  against  the  wall 
behind  him.  The  pistol  shot,  however,  had  given 
him  his  desired  information.  He  knew  now  where 
the  fight  was  progressing,  and,  with  a  single  savage 
leap,  he  was  across  the  room  and  grappling  with 
the  two  struggling  men,  vainly  endeavouring  to  pick 
friend  from  foe. 

From  somewhere  out  of  the  darkness  a  heavy 
fist  leaped  at  him,  striking  him  fairly  in  the  face 
and  sending  him  reeling  backward.  He  tripped 
over  an  overturned  chair  and,  as  he  fell,  he  heard 
another  pistol  shot.  Then  his  head  came  sharply 
into  contact  with  the  floor  and  his  senses  left  him. 


102  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

As  Quincy  slowly  regained  consciousness  and  sat 
up,  a  few  moments  later,  he  found  Gates  fumbling 
wildly  with  a  lamp  and  swearing  profusely  at  his 
inability  to  light  it,  a  condition  which  satisfied 
Quincy  regarding  the  inspector's  safety. 

"  What's  the  trouble,  Gates  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"  Trouble !  "  Gates  snorted,  at  last  meeting  suc- 
cess with  the  lamp.  "  Somebody  tried  to  cut  my 
throat.  That's  all." 

"  But  who?  What  for?  "  Quincy  blurted,  unable 
to  fully  comprehend  the  occurrence. 

"  How  the  blazes  do  I  know  who  ?  He  was  some 
sort  of  a  foreigner.  I  could  tell  that  by  the  lingo 
he  hissed  at  me.  If  I  could  have  raised  a  light 
there  would  have  been  a  mighty  sick  wop  in  this 
room,  believe  me.  The  devil  take  a  town  where 
they  have  neither  electricity  nor  gas." 

"  But  tell  me  about  it.  What  happened  ?  Cool 
down,  Gates,  you're  more  incoherent  than  a  com- 
plete novice." 

Thus  adjured,  Gates  regained  his  natural  man- 
ner. "  Well,  just  this  happened,"  he  said.  "  I  woke 
up  to  find  somebody  prowling  through  my  room 
with  an  electric  flash  light.  I  started  to  jump  out 
of  bed  and  he  heard  me,  switched  out  his  light  and 
came  for  me  in  fhe  dark.  As  I  told  you,  he  hissed 
some  sort  of  a  wop  lingo  at  me  as  he  came,  and 
then  he  swung  at  me  with  a  knife,  but  missed  me  in 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  103 

the  darkness.  You  can  see  where  he  carved  the 
pillow.  Then  I  jumped  at  him  and  we  mixed  it 
up  all  over  the  floor.  It  was  about  then  that  you 
showed  up  and  he  tried  to  get  away.  We  shot 
at  each  other  a  couple  of  times,  but  he  broke  away 
from  me  and  disappeared,  out  of  the  window,  I 
guess,  and  I  undertook  to  raise  a  light.  That's  all 
there  was  to  it.  I  don't  know  What  he  wanted; 
but  I  have  an  idea,"  he  added,  after  a  cautious 
glance  over  his  shoulder  to  see  if  any  of  the  other 
guests  had  yet  appeared.  "  I  think/'  he  continued 
in  a  lowered  voice,  "  that  he  came  in  to  see  if  I 
was  wearing  a  badge.  In  other  words,  I  have  an 
impression  that  our  business  up  here  is  suspected." 

"  Whew !  "  Quincy  muttered.  "  If  that's  the  case 
it  looks  as  though  we  are  on  the  right  track;  but 
our  trail  bids  fair  to  be  a  rough  one/' 

Further  conversation  on  the  subject  was  impos- 
sible because  of  the  appearance  of  the  landlord  with 
a  small  horde  of  guests  at  his  heels,  and,  by  the 
time  peace  was  once  more  restored,  it  was  broad 
daylight.  A  search  of  the  premises  and  their  sur- 
roundings had  been  productive  of  nothing,  nor  had 
any  person  seen  a  man  of  either  strange  or  suspi- 
cious character.  Consequently,  when  the  pair 
started  on  their  stage  trip  to  Lurie,  it  was  in  a 
still  unenlightened  state  of  mind. 

"  I   wonder,"   Quincy  muttered,   "  whether  that 


104  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

visit  was  an  advance  greeting  from  Lurie  or  an 
afterclap  from  Boston." 

No  answer  was  forthcoming,  however,  and 
Quincy  was  forced  to  content  himself  with  a  casual 
examination  of  his  travelling  companions.  The 
passengers  consisted,  aside  from  themselves,  of  two 
salesmen,  the  old  gentleman  of  'the  train,  and  three 
women.  To  the  salesmen  Quincy  and  Gates  paid 
merely  a  passing  glance;  to  the  women,  who  were 
conversing  volubly  in  shrill  tones,  they  accorded  no 
attention  whatever;  but  at  the  old  gentleman  they 
looked  witih  interest.  The  question  as  to  who  he 
might  be,  and  what  might  be  the  object  of  his 
journey,  rose  ever  larger  in  their  minds  and  their 
concern  regarding  his  presence  furnished  them  with 
considerable  food  for  thought.  At  last,  to  their 
gratification,  one  of  the  women  addressed  a  trifling 
remark  to  him,  according  him  the  title  of  "  Doc- 
tor." 

"  The  old  village  doctor,"  Quincy  whispered  in 
an  aside  to  Gates.  "  He  should  be  able  to  give  us 
information  regarding  our  man.  Get  acquainted 
with  him,  Gates,  before  we  get  to  the  village." 

In  accordance  with  his  instructions  Gates  suc- 
ceeded in  establishing  friendly  relations  with  the 
old  man,  and,  by  the  time  the  stage  came  to  a  stop 
in  the  straggling  little  village  of  Lurie,  all  three 
were  conversing  freely  with  one  another.  As  they 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  105 

alighted,  Doctor  Barr  —  they  had  by  this  time  in- 
troduced themselves  —  turned  toward  them  with  a 
slightly  quizzical  smile  on  his  face. 

"  Our  village,  gentlemen/'  he  said,  "  boasts  of 
very  poor  accommodations  for  strangers.  If  you 
care  to  accept,  I  shall  be  very  pleased  to  have  you 
take  your  noon  meal  with  me.  My  housekeeper  is 
an  excellent  cook  and  I  am  frankly  of  the  opinion 
that,  if  you  propose  visiting  the  village  for  any 
length  of  time,  you  will  find  it  advisable  to  start 
well  fortified  against  the  meals  of  the  local  board- 
ing house." 

The  two  quickly  accepted  the  invitation,  a  step 
on  which  they  congratulated  themselves  when  they 
were  seated  before  the  appetizing  viands  with  which 
the  doctor's  table  was  well  laden.  Throughout  the 
meal  very  little  conversation  was  indulged  in,  all 
three  being  too  busy  with  the  task  in  hand  to  think 
of  aught  else.  As  the  meal  was  finished,  however, 
and  the  men  leaned  back  with  expressions  of  com- 
plete satisfaction  on  their  faces,  Quincy  glanced 
questioningly  toward  the  doctor. 

"  Doctor  Barr,"  he  inquired,  "  are  you  fairly 
familiar  with  the  various  people  who  have  lived  in 
this  village  during  the  last  few  years?" 

The  doctor  glanced  up  interrogatively  at  the 
question,  but  replied  at  once.  "  With  every  one  o'f 
them.  I  have  been  acquainted  with  every  person 


106  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

who  has  claimed  residence  in  this  place  during  the 
last  thirty  years." 

"  Then  did  you  ever  know  any  one  named 
Thomas  Fenton  ?  " 

"  Tom  Fenton  ?  Certainly.  I  was  more  or  less 
acquainted  with  him  before  he  left  this  village.  He 
went  to  Boston  and  built  up  quite  a  fortune,  I 
understand.  His  father,  Andrew,  used  to  be  quite 
a  crony  of  old  Peter  Blannett's,  although  Peter's 
son,  Ferdinand,  and  Tom  never  hitched  to  any  ex- 
tent." 

.    "  Ferdinand   and   Peter   Blannett,"   0uincy   re- 
peated with  rising  interest.     "Who  are  they?" 

For  a  few  moments  the  doctor  toyed  idly  with  a 
teaspoon  before  replying.  "  You  are  now  asking  a 
question  which  has  puzzled  this  village  for  genera- 
tions," he  said  slowly.  "  Who  are  the  Blannetts  ? 
You  are  in  a  strange  community,  gentlemen,  and 
one  which  possesses  its  deep  mystery.  We  of  Lurie 
are  a  body  of  people  unknown  to  the  remainder  of 
,our  great  country,  for  who  out  there  takes  the 
trouble  to  locate  the  various  minor  units  of  the 
single  state  in  our  great  Union  which  grows  stead- 
ily smaller  in  population  instead  of  larger?  We 
are  more  completely  isolated  here  than  is  the  most 
remote  frontier  town  of  the  west,  so  what  is  to 
prevent  our  mystery  from  continuing  through  the 
time  to  come  as  it  has  continued  through  the  past  ? 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  107 

"  This  little  village,  with  its  mere  handful  of  in- 
habitants, is  divided  into  two  factions/  the 
'  Yankees  '  comprising  one,  and  the  '  foreigners ' 
the  other  division.  The  Yankees  need  no  explana- 
tion, as  they  differ  in  no  respect  from  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  many  rural  communities  in  New  Eng- 
land ;  but  the  foreigners  are  truly  a  mystery.  They 
are  made  up  of  a  strange  body  of  people  of  perhaps 
Spanish  descent,  there  being  now  scarcely  more  than 
half  a  dozen  all  told,  although,  according  to  tradi- 
tion, the  time  was  when  they  constituted  practically 
the  entire  population  of  this  village.  Where  they 
originally  came  from  nobody,  aside  from  them- 
selves, can  tell ;  but  they  are  credited  with  having 
been  in  this  place  many  years.  They  have  been 
ever  a  race  by  themselves,  and  in  their  own  homes 
they  speak  a  strange  jargon  which  seems  a  mixture 
of  the  language  of  several  of  the  Latin  countries. 
Curiously  enough,  too,  they  have  always  acknowl- 
edged the  leadership  and  government  of  a  sort  of 
chieftain,  the  present  chief  being  Ferdinand  Blan- 
nett,  who  succeeded  his  father,  Peter. 

"  Ferdinand,  who  is  a  man  past  sixty,  differs 
vastly  from  the  other  members  of  his  class  in  that 
he  is  well  educated  and  a  great  student.  You  will 
undoubtedly  meet  him  if  you  remain  here  any 
length  of  time.  He  lives  in  a  huge  old  house  on 
the  extreme  edge  of  the  township  and  with  him,  on 


108  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

his  large  estate,  live  the  other  foreigners.  The 
house,  so  says  tradition,  has  been  the  residence  of 
the  chieftain  of  the  band  through  many  generations, 
and  the  building  is  old  enough  in  appearance  to 
bear  out  the  statement.  You  will  find  Ferdinand 
Blannett,  when  you  meet  him,  a  most  entertaining 
man  and  I  feel  certain  that  you  will  be  delighted 
with  his  conversation. 

"  But  you  asked  me  about  Tom  Fenton.  The 
Fentons,  in  some  strange  way  which  I  cannot  ex- 
plain, were  affiliated  with  the  foreigners,  although 
they  lived  in  the  village,  and  not  on  the  Blannett 
estate.  Fenton's  father  and  Peter  Blannett  were 
right  hand  men  to  one  another  and  you  seldom  saw 
one  unless  the  other  was  near  by.  When  Peter 
died  there  was  great  dissension  among  the  for- 
eigners, it  being  rumoured  at  the  time  that  Peter 
had  passed  the  leadership  over  to  Fenton  instead  of 
to  his  son,  Ferdinand.  A  bitter  feud  broke  out  and 
it  looked  for  a  time  as  though  bloodshed  would  re- 
sult; but  such  a  catastrophe  was  prevented  by  the 
death  of  Fenton,  which  occurred  rather  mysteri- 
ously at  an  opportune  moment. 

"  Shortly  after  his  father's  death,  Tom  Fenton 
removed  from  Lurie,  taking  with  him  his  young 
son,  and  Ferdinand  assumed  the  reins  of  govern- 
ment among  the  foreigners.  But  dissatisfaction 
was  rampant,  and,  in  the  course  of  a  few  years, 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  109 

the  body,  small  even  then,  became  depleted  by  re- 
movals from  the  district  until  there  were  left  merely 
the  half  dozen  or  so  who  now  remain  on  the  estate. 
Of  Tom  Fenton,  since  his  removal,  I  'have  heard 
little.  That,  gentlemen,  is  all  that  I  can  tell  you 
concerning  either  Fenton  or  Blannett." 

As  the  narration  drew  to  a  close  Quincy  and 
Gates  -stared  wonderingly  at  each  other  across  the 
table,  Quincy  being  the  first  to  break  the  brief 
silence  which  settled. 

"  What  do  they  do,  these  foreigners,  to  earn  their 
living?"  he  inquired. 

"  Oh,  they  work  Blannett's  farm,  the  income 
from  which  seems  to  be  a  sort  of  co-operative  affair 
in  which  all  share  alike.  As  I  told  you,  they  are 
a  mystery  and  their  mode  of  life  is  as  mysterious 
as  their  origin." 

The  doctor  rose  as  if  to  close  the  conversation, 
thus  cutting  off  the  opportunity  for  further  ques- 
tioning. Quincy  and  Gates  took  their  leave  as 
rapidly  as  the  demands  of  courtesy  would  allow, 
and,  when  once  out  of  range  of  the  doctor's  house, 
paused  in  the  middle  of  the  road  to  consider  their 
next  step. 

"  This  affair  appears  to  grow  more  mixed  and 
uncertain  with  every  hour,"  Gates  declared  em- 
phatically. "  Where  do  all  these  different  folks 
come  in,  anyhow?  If  Brown  killed  young  Fenton, 


110  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

who  killed  the  old  man?  And,  if  Brown  didn't  kill 
the  young  fellow,  who  did?  And  why  did  Brown 
claim  that  pistol?  Why  did  that  fellow  tackle  me 
last  night?  What,  if  anything,  has  this  man  Blan- 
nett  and  his  gang  to  do  with  it?  The  farther  we 
go  into  this  confounded  thing,  Sawyer,  the  more 
questions  we  dig  up  which  absolutely  require  an- 
swers. I  confess  that  I  am  all  at  sea,  so,  if  you  have 
any  suggestion,  by  all  means  trot  it  out." 

Quincy  laughed  in  a  puzzled  and  uncertain  man- 
ner. "  I  think,  Gates,"  he  said,  "  that  I  begin  to 
glimpse  daylight,  although  I'll  admit  that  it  is 
merely  an  unsatisfactory  glimmer,  and  one  vastly 
complicated  with  peculiar  possibilities.  I  suggest 
that  we  stroll  out  past  Blannett's  farm,  and  in  that 
way  secure  'an  idea  as  to  Fenton's  former  associ- 
ates." 

The  trip  to  Blannett's  farm  entailed  a  much 
longer  walk  than  they  had  anticipated,  and  the  after- 
noon was  well  advanced  before  they  reached  it. 
Even  then  their  object  was  not  attained,  as  no- 
where could  they  catch  so  much  as  a  glimpse  of 
either  farmhouse  or  farm  buildings.  Nothing  but 
wild  and  wooded  land  surrounded  them  on  either 
side,  not  even  a  gate  or  opening  of  any  sort  being 
visible  through  the  rough  stone  walls  which  en- 
closed the  property.  Unwilling  to  return  to  the  vil- 
lage without  having  secured  at  least  a  distant  view 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  111 

of  the  farm  buildings,  they  paused  in  the  road  and 
viewed  the  unbroken  walls  with  indecision. 

"  Suppose,"  Gates  suggested,  "  that  we  climb  the 
hill  over  there  and  see  if  we  can't  catch  a  glimpse 
from  its  top." 

They  accordingly  ascended  the  hill,  emerging 
suddenly  from  the  woods  and  underbrush  to  find 
themselves  almost  at  the  door  of  the  great  farm- 
house. No  opportunity  was  given  them  in  which 
to  reconnoitre,  however,  for,  without  any  warning, 
there  suddenly  burst  from  the  rear  of  the  house  two 
giant  mastiffs.  The  dogs  charged  them  with  deaf- 
ening uproar,  and  wide  open,  slavering  jaws,  which 
presented  anything  other  than  an  inviting  appear- 
ance. After  a  brief  but  comprehensive  glance  in 
their  direction,  Quincy  hastily  pulled  himself  into 
the  nearest  tree,  while  Gates  paused  with  seeming 
indecision,  his  hand  fumbling  nervously  at  his  back 
pocket. 

"  Don't  shoot !  —  Shin !  "  Ouincy  shouted  from 
his  place  of  refuge  and  Gates,  hastily  abandoning 
his  plan  of  defence,  "  shinned  "  with  alacrity. 

The  dogs,  disappointed  at  the  loss  of  their  prey, 
leaped  wildly  about  the  tree  in  which  the  two  men 
were  perched,  maintaining  all  the  while  a  most 
fiendish  din.  The  racket  soon  brought  results,  for 
the  door  of  the  'house  flew  open,  and  a  man  carry- 
ing a  heavy  cane  strode  through  into  the  yard. 


112  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

From  the  description  given  by  Doctor  Barr  the  man 
was  easily  recognized  as  Ferdinand  Blannett,  his 
iron  gray  hair,  bulky  frame  and  alert  activity  ren- 
dering him  a  figure  which  would  have  been  notice- 
able anywhere.  He  advanced  with  quick,  snappy 
steps  to  the  tree  and  stood  gazing  up,  a  slow  smile 
of  intense  amusement  passing  over  his  face. 

"  My  dogs  appear  to  lack  in  hospitality,  gentle- 
men," he  said  at  last,  speaking  in  a  slow  voice. 
"  When,  however,  you  take  into  consideration  the 
fact  that  they  seldom  see  strangers,  you  will  readily 
understand  that  they  have  little  opportunity  for  the 
practice  of  social  amenities.  Be  gone !  "  he  snapped 
in  conclusion,  at  which  the  dogs  slowly  retreated, 
their  eyes  still  fixed  on  the  strangers  as  though  in 
promise  of  additional  hostilities  when  the  oppor- 
tunity should  again  be  offered  them.  "  Now,  gen- 
tlemen," Blannett  continued,  "  if  you  will  descend  I 
shall  attempt  to  offer  you  better  treatment  than  that 
which  you  have  received  from  my  dependents." 

The  invitation  in  itself  seemed  friendly  enough; 
but  there  was  that  in  the  look  and  tone  of  Blan- 
nett which  caused  Quincy  to  glance  at  him  with 
quick  suspicion.  The  man's  face  was  perfectly  guile- 
less, however,  and  he  seemed  actuated  by  nothing 
other  than  a  courteous  impulse;  but,  nevertheless, 
Quincy,  for  some  reason  he  was  unable  to  clearly 
define,  determined  to  keep  a  close  watch  so  long  as 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  113 

he  and  Gates  should  remain  on  the  premises.  Fol- 
lowing a  pace  or  two  behind  Blannett  and  Gates,  as 
they  walked  toward  the  house,  he  was  able  to  ex- 
amine his  host  with  minute  care  and  was  struck 
with  the  huge  bulk  of  the  man. 

Towering  above  even  the  tall  Gates,  and  with 
shoulders  spreading  to  an  unusual  breadth,  he  was 
beyond  all  doubt  a  man  who  would  prove  a  most 
formidable  opponent  in  a  purely  physical  contest. 
His  muscles  bulged  in  great  knots  and  ropes  beneath 
his  soft  shirt,  where  they  slipped  and  slid  sinuously 
like  those  of  a  cat,  instead  of  stretching  with  the 
muscle-bound  jerks  wthich  might  have  been  ex- 
pected in  a  man  of  his  evident  age.  His  step  was 
unusually  quick  and  light  and  the  lithe  swing  of 
his  body,  which  swayed  gently  from  the  waist  with 
eaoh  stride,  betokened  that,  in  spite  of  its  size,  the 
great  form  would  be  capable  upon  occasion  of  sur- 
prising bursts  of  speed.  In  fact,  Quincy  decided, 
it  seemed  probable  that,  should  Blannett  ever  be- 
come thoroughly  aroused,  both  he  and  Gates,  though 
powerful  beyond  the  average  as  both  were,  would 
find  themselves  entirely  at  his  mercy.  At  that  point, 
however,  his  meditations  were  interrupted  by  their 
arrival  at  the  door  of  Blannett's  house. 

"  Step  within,  gentlemen,"  Blannett  invited  them 
with  genuine  courtesy.  "  You  will  find  that  my 
house  is  extremely  old-fashioned,  but  I  vastly  pre- 


114  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

fer  the  substantial  qualities  of  the  furniture  of 
former  days  to  the  gaudy  and  fragile  trappings 
of  the  modern  age.  Perhaps  my  size  has  influenced 
my  preference,"  he  added  with  a  dry  smile. 

Accepting  the  invitation,  Quincy's  first  glance 
assured  him  that  Blannett  had  indeed  spoken  the 
truth.  The  room  in  which  he  found  himself  was 
truly  furnished  in  the  manner  of  past  days;  not 
only  that,  but  the  furniture  was  so  patently  antique 
that  the  eyes  of  a  connoisseur  would  have  burned 
with  envy  at  sight  of  the  collection.  The  deep  shade 
of  the  mahogany,  the  graceful  lines  of  the  various 
pieces,  and  the  air  of  serviceable  strength  which 
every  article  held  forth,  gave  to  the  room  a  striking 
appearance  of  taste  and  comfort. 

"You  are  a  collector  of  antique  furniture?" 
Quincy  questioned,  as  Blannett  led  them  toward 
what  appeared  to  be  his  library  and  living-room. 

"  Oh,  no,"  Blannett  laughingly  replied.  "  I  am 
merely  a  preserver  of  antique  furniture.  These 
pieces  have  all  been  here  since  long  previous  to 
my  time.  Here  in  my  library  you  will  notice  that 
the  furniture  is  even  more  substantial  than  that 
which  is  in  the  dining-room.  Will  you  be  seated?  " 

As  Quincy  sank  into  a  capacious  chair  he  noted 
the  truth  of  Blannett's  statement;  but,  at  the  same 
time,  his  eye  chanced  to  light  on  another  item  of 
the  room's  furnishing  which  brought  an  involun- 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  115 

tary  start  of  surprise.  On  a  small  table  in  one 
corner  of  the  room  rested  a  telephone.  Noting 
Quincy's  expression  of  astonishment,  and  its  cause, 
Blannett  again  smiled  in  his  peculiarly  quiet  and 
deliberate  manner. 

"  Do  you  not  think,  sir,  that  we  on  the  out- 
skirts of  civilization  are  entitled  to  at  least  a  few 
of  the  conveniences  of  the  world?"  he  questioned. 
"  Do  not  be  too  greatly  surprised  at  the  presence 
of  the  telephone,  for  it  belongs  merely  to  a  private 
line  connected  with  various  parts  of  my  farm.  I 
use  it  for  the  purpose  of  directing  the  farm  work 
and  for  calling  my  men  when  I  require  their  pres- 
ence." 

He  settled  back  comfortably  in  his  chair  and, 
after  passing  cigars  to  his  guests,  produced  a 
long-stemmed  pipe  which  he  lighted  with  evident 
relish. 

"  You  are  sightseers  ?  "  'he  inquired,  carelessly. 

Quincy  fancied  that  he  was  able  to  detect  a  pecul- 
iar tone  in  the  question,  but  gave  no  sign  of  his 
suspicions  as  he  replied  briefly  in  the  affirmative. 
Blannett  also  refrained  from  mentioning  the  matter 
again,  branching  off  almost  immediately  into  con- 
versation which  pertained  merely  to  the  country  in 
his  immediate  vicinity,  and  presenting  them  with 
many  interesting  facts  during  his  discourse.  From 
that  point  he  cleverly  led  the  conversation  into 


116  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

channels  of  learning  and  science,  showing  them  in 
the  course  of  'his  remarks  occasional  flashes  of  know- 
ledge that  fairly  staggered  them.  So  great  was  the 
range  of  his  familiarity  with  almost  every  subject, 
that  Quincy  soon  recognized  that,  instead  of  a 
rough  provincial,  he  had  to  deal  with  a  mind  remark- 
ably keen  and  well-stocked.  For  two  hours  or  more 
they  maintained  an  animated  conversation  before 
Blannett  seemed  suddenly  to  recall  himself  with  a 
start. 

"  Why,  gentlemen,"  he  exclaimed.  "  It  is  really 
time  for  supper,  or  dinner  as  you  would  term  the 
meal.  It  is  so  seldom  that  I  entertain  callers  with 
whom  I  can  converse  on  such  subjects  as  we  have 
taken  up  that  the  passage  of  time  has  entirely  es- 
caped me.  If  you  will  pardon  me  a  few  moments  I 
shall  give  instructions  for  the  serving  of  the  meal." 
With  an  almost  courtly  bow  he  left  them,  and  they 
heard  his  quick  stride  echoing  through  the  farther 
rooms  of  the  house. 

No  sooner  bad  the  sounds  died  away  than  Gates 
was  at  the  door  through  which  Blannett  had  dis- 
appeared. "  It  seems  darned  unmannerly  to  do  it," 
he  muttered,  "  but  it's  all  in  the  day's  work." 

Quincy  nodded  briefly,  and,  with  Gates  on  guard 
at  the  door,  he  began  a  hasty  search  of  the  room. 
The  first  article  of  furniture  to  attract  his  attention 
was  a  large,  old-fashioned  desk,  to  which  he  stepped 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  117 

quickly.  The  desk,  he  had  no  doubt,  was  completely 
honeycombed  with  secret  drawers,  but  he  felt  that 
he  must  rely  on  the  strong  possibility  that  Blannett, 
should  he  chance  to  have  been  guilty,  would  have 
relied  on  the  safety  of  his  isolation  and  become  care- 
less. He  rapidly  scanned  drawer  after  drawer  with- 
out discovering  anything  of  greater  importance  than 
a  vast  accumulation  of  papers.  He  drew  forth  one 
signed  "  Ferdinand  Blannett "  and  compared  the 
handwriting  with  that  of  the  note  discovered  in 
Fenton's  suitcase,  a  slight  smile  of  satisfaction  ap- 
pearing on  his  face  as  he  did  so.  He  dropped  the 
paper  back  in  the  drawer,  and  was  about  to  shove 
it  back  in  place,  when  a  small  parcel  wrapped  in  cloth 
struck  his  eye.  He  quickly  lifted  out  the  parcel  and 
unwrapped  it,  an  exclamation  escaping  him  as  he 
viewed  the  contents. 

Wheeling  about,  he  held  up  for  the  inspector's  in- 
spection two  articles.  One  was  an  automatic  pistol, 
and  the  other  a  curved-bladed  Damascus  dagger, 
and  on  the  jewelled  hilt  of  the  dagger  were  several 
dark  smears. 

"  We've  got  him !  "  Gates  exclaimed,  starting  for- 
ward eagerly. 

"  Wait."  Quincy  halted  him  with  upraised  hand. 
"  Get  back  in  your  chair  and  wait  for  him  to  come." 
With  great  care  he  placed  the  articles  on  the  table 
Where  they  would  be  most  likely  to  attract  the  im- 


118  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

mediate  attention  of  any  person  entering  the  room, 
and  then  resumed  his  own  seat. 

They  had  not  long  to  wait,  for  within  a  few  mo- 
ments Blannett's  footsteps  echoed  in  the  next  room 
and  he  once  more  stood  before  them. 

"  I  think,  gentlemen  — "  he  began,  pausing 
sharply  in  the  midst  of  his  words  as  his  eyes  en- 
countered the  mute  evidence  on  the  table.  For  a 
second  only  he  stared  at  the  articles  and  then, 
whirling  abruptly,  he  seized  the  telephone. 

Crack !  The  telephone,  shattered  by  a  heavy  bul- 
let, dropped  from  his  hand  and  reeled  drunkenly 
across  the  table,  while  Blannett  himself  leaped  back 
and  glared  savagely  at  his  guests. 

"  I  don't  miss  in  the  daytime  at  any  rate,"  Gates 
affirmed  with  grim  satisfaction,  resting  the  smoking 
barrel  of  his  revolver  on  the  arm  of  his  chair,  and 
keeping  it  in  position  for  instant  service.  "  Please 
be  seated,  Mr.  Blannett." 

With  cool  deliberation  Blannett  complied,  his 
eyes  flashing  from  one  to  the  other  of  his  guests, 
although  his  face  at  once  resumed  its  usual  expres- 
sion of  calm  immobility. 

"  I  take  it,  gentlemen,"  he  observed  quietly, 
"  that  you  are  sightseers  of  a  professional  na- 
ture." 

"  We  are,"  Ouincy  avowed.  "  As  much  as  I  re- 
gret, Mr.  Blannett,  to  reward  hospitality  with  seem- 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  119 

ing  treachery,  it  has  been  necessary  in  this  particu- 
lar case." 

Blannett  made  a  gesture  of  dissent.  "  Do  not 
reproach  yourself  on  that  score,  sir,"  he  remarked 
courteously.  "  I  suspected  who  and  what  you  were 
from  the  first.  Francisco  told  me  you  were  coming. 
Francisco,"  he  added  with  dry  humour,  "  is  the  man 
with  whom  one  of  you  experienced  a  slight  alterca- 
tion last  night." 

He  leaned  forward  in  his  ohair  and  stared  care- 
lessly at  Gates,  who  was  now  sitting  with  eyes  nar- 
rowed and  forehead  slightly  puckered  as  though  in 
deep  thought.  His  eyes  then  wandered  slowly  in 
Quincy 's  direction,  as  though  to  indicate  that  he 
awaited  further  questioning,  but  back  of  the  quiet 
eyes  there  lay  a  cool  determination,  a  flash  of  which  . 
Quincy  caught  as  the  head  once  more  turned  toward 
Gates.  The  inspector  flicked  the  ashes  from  his 
cigar,  a  momentary  relaxation  of  his  faculties  which 
brought  immediate  results. 

Like  a  flash  Blannett  whipped  a  revolver  from  a 
hidden  holster  in  the  breast  of  his  coat.  The  re- 
volver leaped  into  position,  and  a  triumphant  smile 
played  over  his  face,  as  the  short,  muscular  finger 
closed  over  the  trigger.  But  Quincy  was  await- 
ing the  movement,  and,  even  as  Gates  stared  in 
petrified  silence  at  the  blue  muzzle,  there  came  a 
sharp  crash  and  the  revolver,  torn  out  of  Blan- 


120  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

nett's  hand,  whirled  away  into  a  corner  of  the 
room. 

"  You  will  notice,  Mr.  Blannett,"  Quincy  re- 
marked coolly,  "  that  we  are  both  fair  shots,  and 
quick  shots  as  well." 

After  an  instant  of  startled  astonishment,  Blannett 
tossed  his  hands  in  the  air  with  a  gesture  of  com- 
plete surrender. 

"  I  give  it  up,  gentlemen,"  he  remarked,  with  no 
trace  of  quiver  or  fear  in  his  voice.  "  You  are  too 
many  for  me." 

Quincy  maintained  his  position  with  revolver 
trained  and,  at  a  nod  from  him,  Gates  quickly  ran 
over  Blannett's  person  in  search  of  other  arms.  In 
a  moment  he  again  resumed  his  seat  with  a  shake 
of  his  head. 

"  There  are  no  more,"  he  stated  briefly. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Quincy,  lowering  his  own  re- 
volver. "  You  are,  of  course,  aware  of  our  purpose 
here,  Mr.  Blannett." 

"  I  am.  You  have  come  here  in  search  of  the 
man  who  killed  Tom  Fenton."  He  paused  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  continued  with  emphatic  delibera- 
tion. "  I  killed  him.  Had  not  my  plans  miscarried 
somewhat  through  the  overzealousness  of  my  as- 
sistant, I  doubt  if  you  would  have  been  able  to 
trace  me  so  readily;  but  perhaps  it  would  have 
been  possible.  I  did  not  count,  when  I  left  you, 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  121 

on  your  possessing  the  nerve  to  search  my  room 
during  my  brief  absence,  which  is  where  I  made  an- 
other mistake.  Had -the  faintest  inkling  of  your  in- 
tention been  given  me,  I  assure  you  that  your  task 
would  have  been  rendered  far  more  difficult.  How- 
ever, I  cannot  make  up  my  mind  that  I  am  sorry 
to  have  the  matter  turn  out  in  this  way.  I  am, 
after  the  teaching  of  my  forebears,  a  fatalist,  and, 
according  to  my  belief,  of  course,  this  event  has 
been  foreordained  since  the  ages  began.  My  life 
has  been  passed  after  a  manner  different  from  the 
usual  run,  different  by  far  from  that  of  any  man 
you  ever  knew,  and  it  is  possible  that  my  ideals  are 
sadly  warped,  but  who  can  say?  As  you  view  my 
deed,  the  killing  of  Fenton  was  vile  murder;  but, 
according  to  my  view,  it  was  not  only  justifiable, 
but  laudable  as  well.  It  is  all  a  matter  of  view- 
point, you  see.  I  am  going  to  tell  you  a  strange 
story  and  afterward,  I  have  no  doubt,  show  you  a 
strange  sight.  Then  you  will  understand  the  weird 
peculiarities  under  which  my  life  has  been  passed, 
and  the  lives  of  others  before  me." 

As  he  paused  a  moment,  Quincy  again  broke  in. 
"Francisco.  Where  is  he?" 

Blannett's  slow  smile  crossed  his  face.  "  Fran- 
cisco you  will  never  catch.  He  is  already  far  away 
across  the  Canadian  line  and  he  is  well  supplied 
with  money."  He  quietly  filled  his  long-stemmed 


122  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

pipe  before  continuing,  and  did  not  speak  again 
until  the  tobacco  was  burning  to  his  satisfac- 
tion. 

"  The  story  I  am  about  to  tell  you,"  he  continued 
at  last,  "  is  a  peculiar  mixture  of  antiquity  and 
modernity,  and  must  therefore  be  handled  in  two 
short  sections.  The  first  begins  at  a  time  about  a 
century  and  a  quarter  ago  when  my  ancestor,  Hugo 
Blannett,  plied  his  profession  of  piracy  along  the 
South  Atlantic  coast  of  this  country,  and  the  north- 
ern sections  of  South  America.  Had  he  lived  in 
these  days  he  would  perhaps  have  made  as  success- 
ful a  business  man  as  he  was  a  pirate,  although  it 
is  possible  that  a  quiet  business  life  would  not  have 
appealed  to  a  man  of  his  active  nature.  He  had  a 
settlement  of  his  own  on  the  western  coast  of 
Florida  where,  so  our  traditions  tell  us,  he  and  many 
of  his  men  kept  wives  and  families,  going  to  and 
from  their  work  as  did  the  more  peaceful  sailors 
of  the  time.  His  command  was  made  up  largely 
of  Spaniards,  with  a  sprinkling  of  Italians  and  a  few 
Englishmen,  one  of  the  last  named  being  his  lieu- 
tenant, a  man  called  Black  Fenton. 

"  At  a  time  shortly  before  the  Revolution,  how- 
ever, the  band,  partly  because  of  the  manner  in  which 
they  were  being  harried  by  British  warships,  and 
partly  on  account  of  the  increasing  age  of  Hugo 
Blannett,  for  they  would  follow  no  other  leader,  de- 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  123 

cided  to  give  up  their  calling  and  sail  away  to  Spain, 
where  the  immense  fortune  they  had  reaped  would 
enable  all  to  live  in  a  most  luxurious  manner  during 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Therefore,  they  aban- 
doned their  colony,  packed  their  spoils,  consisting 
of  gold  bullion  and  jewels,  on  board  a  large  ship 
which  they  had  captured  for  the  purpose,  and  set 
sail  for  Spain.  But  misfortune  attended  them  from 
the  start,  coming  first  in  the  form  of  a  gale  which 
blew  their  ship  far  out  of  its  course  and  to  the  north- 
ward. 

"  For  days  the  ship  struggled  along  through 
heavy  seas,  far  out  of  its  course,  and  badly  damaged 
by  heavy  seas.  At  last,  when  the  wind  'had  some- 
what abated,  they  found  themselves  in  a  seriously 
crippled  condition  off  the  coast  of  one  of  the 
Northern  States.  Then,  to  make  matters  worse, 
they  were  sighted  by  a  British  frigate,  which  imme- 
diately gave  chase  to  them  and,  had  it  not  been  for 
the  fact  that  the  frigate  was  also  badly  crippled  by 
the  recent  storm,  the  result  would  have  been  disas- 
trous. As  it  was,  they  had  no  opportunity  to  set 
their  course;  but  were  obliged  to  flee  on  up  the 
coast,  the  frigate  following  them  all  day.  As  night 
was  falling,  they  sighted  a  small  river  and  ran  up 
it,  the  frigate  following,  but  being  forced  to  proceed 
more  slowly  because  of  her  greater  draught.  At 
last  the  frigate  gave  up  the  chase  for  the  night  and 


124  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

dropped  anchor,  well  knowing  that  the  pirates  were 
bottled  up  in  the  river  and  could  not  get  out  past  the 
frigate.  But  Blannett  had  no  intention  of  yielding 
to  a  pirate's  fate  even  yet,  and  he  fled  up  the  river 
until  the  lights  of  a  small  settlement  gleamed  far 
ahead.  Then  the  pirates  paused  for  a  council  of 
war. 

"  As  the  result  of  the  discussion  the  men  of  the 
party  silently  landed  at  a  point  below  the  settlement 
and,  advancing  under  cover  of  the  darkness,  fell 
upon  the  settlers  and  massacred  them.  They  then 
took  possession  of  all  the  horses  and  wagons  to  be 
found,  and  there  were  many  of  them,  and,  being 
used  to  quick  work,  they  rapidly  disembarked  their 
party  from  the  ship,  loaded  their  valuables  on  the 
wagons  and  set  off  across  the  country  in  search  of 
a  spot  where  they  would  be  safe  until  an  opportunity 
should  be  given  them  in  which  to  secure  another 
ship  and  again  set  sail. 

"  For  days  they  moved  inland  until  they  finally 
discovered  this  place  which,  located  as  it  is  in  the 
heart  of  the  mountains,  offered  them  a  shelter  such 
as  they  desired.  They  immediately  erected  tem- 
porary shelters,  expecting  that  soon  they  would 
be  able  to  be  off  once  more  to  the  sea,  but 
misfortune  stHl  attended  them.  The  Revolution 
broke  out  just  at  that  time,  with  the  result  that, 
for  years,  the  seas  swarmed  with  British  war- 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  125 

ships  and  Yankee  privateers,  completely  shattering 
between  them  the  hopes  of  Blannett's  little  band  of 
pirates. 

"  Blannett,  quick  to  see  the  predicament  in  which 
they  were  placed,  at  once  began  to  put  up  'houses  of 
a  more  durable  nature  than  their  first  shelters  and 
to  prepare  for  a  long  wait.  This  very  house  was 
the  one  built  for  him.  For  a  time  all  went  well, 
the  men  of  the  party  securing  sustenance  for  all 
by  frequent  forays  into  the  lower  countryside,  where 
they  harried  Whig  and  Tory  alike,  after  the  man- 
ner of  guerrillas  of  the  more  Southern  States. 
Soon,  however,  dissension  broke  out  among  them, 
one  faction,  under  Black  Fenton,  desiring  that  the 
treasure  be  divided  and  the  band  allowed  to  split 
up  according  to  the  desires  of  its  members,  while 
Blannett  counselled  the  carrying  through  of  the 
original  plans. 

"  The  controversy  waxed  hotter  and  'hotter  until 
Blannett  suddenly  settled  the  whole  matter  by 
causing  the  treasure  to  be  spirited  away  and  hidden, 
nobody  knew  where.  He  then  announced  that,  so 
long  as  the  war  lasted,  the  treasure  would  remain 
hidden  and  that,  should  'he  die  before  the  close  of 
the  war,  an  event  not  unlikely,  the  wearer  of  his 
belt  was  to  succeed  him  and  would,  when  the  time 
became  ripe,  produce  the  treasure  and  lead  them 
away.  From  necessity  his  edict  was  accepted  and 


126  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

when,  a  few  months  later,  he  died,  his  son,  Hugo, 
succeeded  him. 

"  But  the  old  pirate  had  either  builded  more 
strongly  than  he  knew,  or  had  overlooked  the  fact 
that  he  was  better  educated  than  his  fellows,  for 
nobody,  not  even  his  son,  was  able  to  interpret  the 
directions  he  left  for  the  discovery  of  the  treasure. 
They  searched  wildly  for  years,  but  without  suc- 
cess until,  at  last  abandoning  hope,  they  settled 
down  to  wait  until  accident  or  some  unforeseen 
circumstance  should  divulge  the  hiding  place. 

"  Years  passed  and  the  original  members  of  the 
band  passed  on  after  their  fallen  leader.  Another 
generation  followed  the  first,  and  another;  but 
still  there  was  no  key  to  their  secret,  save  the  unin- 
telligible directions  which  Blannett  had  left  The 
country  about  them  began  to  be  built  up,  and  the 
little  village  of  Lurie  was  founded.  A  century 
passed  away  and  the  descendants  of  those  same 
pirates  were  still  here,  the  story  of  the  hidden 
treasure  having  been  passed  on  from  generation  to 
generation.  Even  so  you  find  them  today,  a  little 
group  of  unknown  foreigners,  despite  their  birth  in 
this  land ;  little  known  to  their  neighbours,  and  rec- 
ognizing no  ruling  authority  save  that  of  their  own 
chieftain.  That,  gentlemen,  completes  the  ancient 
history  of  our  body.  We  shall  now  descend  to 
modern  times. 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  127 

"  It  is  an  utter  impossibility  to  completely  isolate 
a  given  body  of  people  through  unlimited  time,  es- 
pecially in  restless  America,  no  matter  how  power- 
ful may  be  the  bonds  which  (hold  them  together. 
This  fact  became  strongly  evidenced  at  about  the 
time  when  my  father  assumed  the  leadership  of  the 
band.  From  the  time  when  our  'people  first  took 
up  their  residence  here  the  different  families  inter- 
married with  one  another,  for,  as  I -told  you,  many 
of  the  >men  had  families  in  their  far-off  Florida  set- 
tlement, and,  of  course,  they  brought  their  women 
with  them  when  they  came  away.  Some  few  of 
the  men,  in  the  earlier  days,  married  women  of  this 
country  after  it  became  decided  that  they  were  to 
remain  here  indefinitely,  and  the  descendants  of 
those  unions  were  the  first  to  be  seized  with  the 
spirit  of  unrest.  The  men  were  free  to  depart 
whenever  they  desired  to  do  so,  but  it  was  a  law  of 
the  settlement  that  whoever  departed  forfeited  all 
rights  to  any  share  in  the  treasure  when  it  should 
be  discovered.  For  a  time  that  fact  acted  as  a  de- 
terrent to  emigration,  but  at  length  the  treasure  be- 
came more  and  more  a  tradition  and  less  a  reality 
to  the  people,  so  that  emigrations  became  more  fre- 
quent. 

"  Fully  realizing  that,  unless  the  treasure  should 
be  soon  discovered,  there  would  be  nobody  left  to 
claim  it,  my  father  devoted  his  life  to  a  thorough 


128  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

seardi  of  the  land.  He  nearly  pulled  the  old  house 
to  pieces,  but  without  success,  and  at  last  he  was 
forced  to  give  up  his  search  and  attempt  to  study 
the  matter  out.  He  knew  that  the  original  Blannett 
had  been  far  better  educated  than  any  other  mem- 
ber of  the  organization,  either  during  his  own  time 
or  since.  Therefore,  my  father  argued,  the  most 
likely  way  in  which  to  solve  the  problem  was  to  edu- 
cate some  member  of  the  band  up  to,  or  beyond,  the 
point  to  which  Hugo  Blannett  had  attained.  Thus 
the  man  trained  for  the  purpose  might  be  able  to 
grasp  hidden  meanings  which  Blannett  had  placed 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  ordinary  member  of  the 
.band. 

"  He  settled  on  me  for  the  experiment  and,  from 
my  earliest  boyhood,  I  was  trained  and  taught  with 
the  utmost  care,  a  tutor  being  imported  for  me  un- 
til I  'had  reached  a  stage  that  permitted  my  entrance 
to  college.  Then  I  was  sent  away  and  during  the 
six  years  that  followed  I  completed  not  only  the 
regular  course,  but  a  postgraduate  course  as  well. 
I  enjoyed  learning,  and  plunged  fervently  into  the 
task  which  had  been  set  for  me,  but,  even  after  my 
return  from  college,  I  was  unable  to  solve  the  great 
problem.  Still,  neither  my  father  nor  I  despaired. 
Instead,  I  imported  books  and  set  out  to  pursue 
subjects  whicji  I  had  not  hitherto  undertaken,  deter- 
mined that  eventually  I  should  read  the  great  riddle. 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  129 

Daily  I  examined  the  directions  which  Blannett 
had  left,  and  which  I  shall  show  you  later,  but  I 
could  make  nothing  of  them  because  of  a  strange 
break  in  the  lines. 

"  Years  passed  and  my  father  died,  turning  over 
to  me  on  his  deathbed  his  belt  of  leadership,  and 
with  that  belt  came  the  greatest  catastrophe  our 
little  community  ever  suffered.  For  Andrew  Fen- 
ton,  Black  Fenton's  descendant,  influenced,  I  have 
no  doubt,  by  his  son,  Tom,  contested  my  right  to 
the  leadership.  He  stirred  up  dissension  among 
our  members,  all  those  who  were  of  mixed  foreign 
and  Yankee  blood  —  and  most  of  them  were,  by 
that  time  —  taking  sides  with  him,  while  the  few 
straight  descendants  stood  by  me.  For  a  time  it 
looked  as  though  bloodshed  would  follow;  but, 
without  any  warning,  Andrew  Fenton  suddenly 
died.  What  caused  his  death  I  do  not  know,  but 
I  have  always  believed  that  -he  was  murdered  by  his 
son,  Tom,  who  believed  that  the  dissension  had 
reached  a  point  where  he  alone  could  lead  the  rebels 
to  victory.  But  in  that  he  was  mistaken.  At  the 
death  of  Andrew  the  dissenters  fell  suddenly  back 
from  their  warlike  attitude  and  turned,  instead,  to 
emigration,  so  that,  inside  of  two  months,  our  land 
was  deserted  save  for  Tom  Fenton,  his  son,  and 
the  few  men  who  are  now  to  be  found  on  the 
estate. 


130  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  For  a  time  Tom  lived  on  in  his  village  house, 
but  at  last  he,  too,  disappeared,  and  with  him  went 
my  golden  belt  of  leadership,  stolen  I  never  knew 
how. 

"  I  was  wild  with  rage  for  a  day  or  two  and, 
could  I  have  followed  Fenton  or  'had  I  known  his 
destination,  I  would  have  killed  him.  It  may  seem 
like  a  trivial  occurrence  to  you,  but  remember  that 
I  had  been  taught  from  earliest  childhood  to  revere 
that  belt  as  a  king  reveres  his  crown,  and  a  king 
cannot  be  lightly  robbed  of  'his  crown.  Then,  per- 
haps as  the  result  of  my  life  among  outsiders,  my 
education  or  what-not,  I  regained  control  of  myself 
and  allowed  Fenton  to  remain  in  possession  of  the 
belt ;  but  I  still  kept  watch  over  him,  and  knew  al- 
ways where  he  was  to  be  found.  I  settled  quietly 
back  with  my  little  handful  of  followers  and  re- 
sumed my  study  of  the  great  problem.  Years 
passed  in  this  manner  and  then,  gentlemen,  I 
solved  it!" 

With  the  words,  he  leaped  to  his  feet  and  paced 
excitedly  back  and  forth  across  the  room,  ihis  eyes 
blazing  and  his  mane  of  gray  hair  flying. 

"  I  solved  the  problem,  and  I  knew  that  I  must 
have  that  belt.  Not  only  that,  but  I  realized  why 
the  belt  had  been  -designated  as  the  seal  of  authority 
and  leadership.  I  believe  Fenton  suspected  as  much 
when  he  took  it,  although  I  do  not  believe  that  he 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  131 

understood  the  exact  part  which  the  belt  played  in 
the  mystery.  This  happened  weeks  ago,  and  I  at 
once  sent  to  Fenton  demanding  the  belt.  He  re- 
turned a  sneering  reply  and  invited  me  to  come  and 
take  it.  I  sent  once  more,  and  demanded  an  inter- 
view on  neutral  territory,  little  thinking  that  it 
would  be  granted.  Back  came  a  reply,  signed  by 
Edgar,  to  the  effect  that  he  would  meet  me  at  a 
certain  spot  which  he  described  in  the  village  of 
Yokum. 

"  I  asked  nothing  better  than  to  get  them  sepa- 
rated, for  then  I  knew  that  I  would  have  the  belt 
sooner  or  later.  I  answered  the  note,  accepting  the 
appointment  and  signing  the  initials  of  Hugo  Blan- 
nett,  as  was  always  our  custom  in  the  transaction 
of  official  business.  At  the  time  appointed,  I  sent 
Francisco  to  Yokum  to  meet  Edgar,  while  I  went 
on  to  Boston.  I  was  unfortunate,  however,  because 
Fenton  was  not  at  home  and,  although  I  waited  in 
the  vicinity  until  after  Edgar  had  returned,  he  did 
not  put  in  an  appearance. 

"  I  then  returned  here  and  again  demanded  an 
interview,  which  was  granted  me  for  the  night  on 
which  the  events  you  are  interested  in  occurred. 
Once  more  I  sent  Francisco  to  Yokum ;  but  on  this 
occasion  tfhe  poor  faithful  fellow  bungled.  Edgar, 
it  seems,  must  have  scented  danger,  for  he  ap- 
proached the  meeting  place  with  an  automatic  pistol 


132  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

clutched  in  his  hand,  a  fact  which  both  frightened 
and  enraged  Francisco.  Without  pausing  to  con- 
sider his  deed,  he  caugiht  up  a  club  and  struck  Edgar 
down,  the  blow  proving  fatal.  Francisco  then  acted 
on  the  instinct  which  has  descended  to  him  through 
the  generations  succeeding  the  pirates.  He  buried 
the  body,  as  was  always  done  in  former  times  when 
a  member  of  the  band  was  killed  in  any  way.  It 
was  instinct,  gentlemen,  and  nothing  else  which 
prompted  such  an  act. 

"  In  the  meantime  I  had  placed  myself  outside 
Fenton's  house  in  Boston.  Fenton  did  not  return 
until  early  in  the  morning,  and  I  watched  him  enter 
the  house  and  then  waited  until  I  saw  a  light  on  the 
first  floor.  I  crept  around  the  building  and,  by  peer- 
ing through  a  window,  discovered  Fenton  seated 
at  a  table  in  his  library.  I  softly  raised  the  win- 
dow and  appeared  before  him.  Was  he  frightened  ? 
He  most  assuredly  was  not! 

"  I  leaned  over  the  table  and  demanded  my  belt 
and  he,  with  an  oath,  defied  me  to  take  it.  I  could 
have  crushed  him  in  my  bare  hands,  but  I  scorned 
to  overpower  him  without  giving  him  at  least  a 
chance  for  his  life,  so  I  ordered  him  to  produce  some 
weapons  and  fight.  A  light  of  actual  happiness 
seemed  to  come  into  his  eyes  as  he  leaped  to  his  feet 
and  drew  those  old  Damascus  daggers,  that  had 
once  been  the  property  of  Hugo  Blannett,  from  a 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  133 

drawer.  He  tossed  them  on  the  table  and  invited 
me  to  choose.  We  immediately  caught  up  our  dag- 
gers, stepped  back  into  the  clearest  portion  of  the 
room  and  fought,  the  fight  lasting  only  a  few  sec- 
onds. There  is  no  need  of  my  recounting  the  de- 
tails. Suffice  it  to  say  that  I  killed  him.  I  then 
tossed  his  dagger  on  the  table,  took  the  belt  and  the 
other  dagger  and  escaped.  I  had  not  counted  on 
Francisco's  returning  with  the  pistol  and  belt  be- 
longing to  Edgar,  nor  had  I  counted  on  the  fact  of 
his  discovering  that  two  detectives  were  on  my 
trail.  He  waited  in  Boston  until  long  after  my  de- 
parture in  order  to  watch  developments  and,  board- 
ing the  same  train  with  yourselves,  he  suspected 
you.  He  entered  your  rooms  to  discover  whether 
or  not  you  were  wearing  badges,  so  that  he  might 
warn  me  if  you  seemed  dangerous. 

"  The  remainder  of  the  story  you  well  know, 
without  my  repeating  it.  Francisco  is  well  out  of 
your  way  for,  as  soon  as  I  received  his  news,  I  sent 
him  out  of  the  country,  feeling  that  perhaps  it  was 
Francisco  and  not  myself  you  were  tracking.  I 
have  only  a  mere  handful  of  followers,  gentlemen, 
but  they  are  loyal.  Ah,  what  would  they  not  do  if 
they  had  the  faintest  inkling  of  the  position  in 
which  their  chief  is  placed!  Do  not  be  alarmed, 
for  I  could  have  summoned  them  long  ago  had  I  so 
desired.  But  what  is  the  use?  W'hy  make  them 


134  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

all  fugitives  from  justice,  when  no  possible  good 
can  come  from  so  doing  ?  " 

He  paused  for  a  brief  interval  and  stared  silently 
at  the  dagger  lying  on  the  table,  then  resumed  his 
rapid  pacing  of  the  room.  As  he  walked,  his  step 
seemed  to  become  even  more  springy  and  catlike, 
while  his  eyes  burned  with  a  yet  wilder  light. 

"  Gentlemen !  "  he  exclaimed,  coming  to  a  sudden 
halt,  "  by  teaching  and  study  I  am  not  only  a 
fatalist,  but  also  a  believer  in  reincarnation.  What 
other  explanation  is  'there  for  the  act  of  Francisco, 
when  he  paused  in  his  flight  to  bury  the  body  of 
Edgar  Fenton,  when  the  body  would  plainly  have 
been  better  left  above  ground  ?  Was  not  that  an  in- 
dication of  the  reincarnated  member  of  old  Blan- 
nett's  band  ?  Witness  again  his  fierce  attack  at  the 
hotel,  when  once  more  flight  would  have  better 
served  his  purpose!  Witness,  in  Fenton,  the  staid 
business  man  reverting  to  a  hand-to-hand  conflict 
with  the  weapons  of  his  forefathers !  Can  it  be  that 
he  was  the  reincarnation  of  the  original  Black  Fen- 
ton? Why  not? 

"  Look  at  myself.  According  to  tradition  I  have 
not  only  the  exact  build,  but  also  the  features  and 
mind  of  Hugo  Blannett.  Can  it  be  possible  that 
Hugo  Blannett  so  cleverly  hid  his  secret  of  the 
treasure  that  only  his  own  reincarnated  mind  could 
rediscover  it?  Am  I  the  reincarnation  of  Hugo 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  135 

Blannett,  and  are  my  few  loyal  followers  the  rein- 
carnated men  of  my  original  crew,  with  Black  Fen- 
ton  contesting  my  authority  today  as  he  did  two 
centuries  ago  ?  As  truly  as  I  stand  'here  before  you, 
I  believe  that  these  things  are  true ! " 

As  he  finished  speaking,  he  paused  abruptly  and 
stood  facing  them,  his  eyes  glaring  defiance,  his 
mane  of  hair  thrown  back  from  his  forehead  and 
his  breast  heaving  convulsively.  He  looked  every 
inch  the  storied  buccaneer  and,  at  the  moment,  it  is 
probable  that  neither  Quincy  nor  Gates,  so  strongly 
were  they  held  in  the  spell  of  his  personality,  would 
have  felt  the  least  surprise  had  the  room  suddenly 
changed  to  a  sea-washed  deck,  and  they  had  found 
themselves  with  the  Jolly  Roger  floating  overhead, 
and  Blannett's  wild  horde  pressing  them  from  all 
sides.  It  was  Blannett  himself  who  snapped  the 
spell,  however.  Relapsing  from  his  attitude  of  wild 
challenge  to  an  air  almost  of  dejection,  he  resumed 
his  seat. 

When  he  next  spoke  it  was  in  his  former  quiet 
tone.  "  You  have  now  heard  the  story  down  to 
the  present  day,  and  soon  we  three  will  investigate 
its  long  sought  explanation,  and  then  will  come 
the  last  scene  of  the  drama  which  had  its  first  act 
staged  when  my  ancestor,  or  perhaps  it  was  my 
former  self,  hid  the  pirates'  treasure." 

He  opened  a  secret  drawer  in  the  table  and  drew 


136  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

from  it  a  small  square  of  parchment,  worn  with 
much  handling  and  inscribed  with  ink  that  had  long 
since  turned  brown  with  age.  "  Here,"  he  said, 
"  we  have  a  portion  of  the  combination  which  will 
unlock  the  mystery.  You,  being  accustomed  to- 
piecing  together  strange  clues  until  they  form  a 
logical  whole,  may  be  able  to  quickly  work  out  a 
solution  to  this  problem,  especially  as  I  have  pro- 
vided you  with  several  valuable  ihints.  Attempt  it," 
he  concluded,  placing  the  parchment  in  Quincy's 
hands. 

Quincy  bent  over  the  parchment,  while  Gates 
hung  interestedly  at  'his  elbow.  The  parchment 
was  covered  with  written  directions,  the  wording 
being  in  Spanish,  with  the  exception  of  what  ap- 
peared to  be  a  single  word,  the  characters  of  which 
stood  out  from  the  sheet  in  an  almost  defiant  chal- 
lenge. The  directions,  in  so  far  as  he  was  able  to 
translate  them,  Quincy  found  to  read :  "  From  the 

corner .    Then,  after  entering,  press  the  middle 

of  the  smallest  stone  in  the  short  passage.  When 
the  door  swings  open,  press  the  square  stone  in 
the  right  hand  corner  of  the  floor.  Hugo  Blan- 
nett." 

Quincy  puzzled  long  and  earnestly  over  the 
strange  scroll  before  finally  looking  toward  Blan- 
nett  with  an  expression  of  acknowledged  failure  on 
his  face.  "  If  I  had  sufficient  time,"  he  said,  "  I 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  137 

believe  I  could  solve  it.  The  key,  of  course,  lies  in 
the  Hebrew  characters,  which  I  am  unable  to 
read." 

Blannett  nodded  gravely.  "  Do  not  be  too  greatly 
cast  down,"  he  remarked,  "  over  failing  to  do  in  a 
few  minutes  what  it  has  cost  over  a  century  of  hard 
work  to  accomplish.  Those  Hebrew  characters  are, 
as  you  say,  the  key  .to  the  situation,  but  in  them  the 
key  is  doubly  disguised.  The  word  they  spell  is 
not  a  Hebrew  word,  but  is  rather  the  simple  Eng- 
lish word  '  belt.'  Do  you  now  understand?  You 
are  referred  to  the  belt  for  the  missing  and  most 
important  section  of  the  directions.  Now  let  us 
examine  the  belt  itself." 

From  the  same  secret  drawer  he  drew  forth  the 
belt  on  which  the  entire  story  (had  so  strangely 
hinged.  It  was  a  heavy  belt  of  yellowish  leather, 
but  its  most  'striking  characteristic  lay  in  the  big 
golden  buckle  with  whidh  it  was  adorned,  and  in 
the  large  gold  chains  which  ran  back  from  the 
buckle  and  completely  encircled  it.  On  the  other- 
wise smooth  surface  of  the  buckle  could  readily 
be  traced  a  series  of  strange  words,  engraved  in  the 
same  Hebrew  characters  which  had  already  played 
so  important  a  part  in  the  directions  left  by  the 
ancient  pirate. 

"  Here  we  now  have  the  complete  key,"  Blan- 
nett informed  them,  laying  the  belt  on  the  table 


138  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

and  freely  translating  the  words  inscribed  on  the 
buckle.  "  The  words  are :  '  Nearest  the  stairway  of 
the  main  vault  count  five  stones.  Dig-  the  mortar 
from  the  farthest  corner  of  the  fifth  stone  and  pull 
the  knob  you  will  discover/  That,  gentlemen,  is 
the  secret  of  the  golden  belt  and  in  its  solution  we 
have  the  complete  key  to  Blannett's  .treasure  cham- 
ber. How  he  first  arranged  his  hiding  place,  and 
then  preserved  the  secret  of  it,  we  shall  probably 
never  know;  but  we  shall  know  the  nature  of  the 
hiding  place  and  the  contents  of  it.  I  had  not  been 
able  to  explore  the  mysteries  of  the  place  previous 
to  your  coming,  and  .that  experience  we  shall  now 
be  able  to  share  with  one  another.  Shall  we  now 
explore  the  mystery  of  the  main  vault?  " 

The  assent  of  his  guests  coming  immediately  on 
the  heels  of  his  proposition,  Blannett  arose  and 
silently  motioned  them  to  follow  him.  He  led  the 
way  out  through  the  dining-room,  where  they  had 
first  viewed  the  interior  of  the  house,  and  back 
through  numerous  rooms  of  varying  size,  until  they 
found  themselves  in  what  was  undoubtedly  the 
kitchen.  There  he  paused  a  few  minutes  while  he 
rummaged  about  in  a  dark  closet,  reappearing 
shortly  with  two  lighted  lanterns  and  a  small 
hatchet.  He  handed  one  of  the  lanterns  to  Gates, 
the  hatchet  to  Quincy,  and,  carrying  the  second 
lantern  himself,  turned  to  a  large  oaken  door  which 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  139 

he  flung  open,  disclosing  a  flight  of  rough  stone 
steps  leading  downward. 

"  The  main  vault  referred  to  in  the  directions 
lies  below  us,"  he  informed  them  briefly. 

Without  awaiting  either  question  or  comment,  he 
stepped  through  the  door  and  slowly  descended  the 
stairs,  his  two  companions  crowding  close  on  his 
heels.  For  perhaps  twenty  steps  the  stairs  led 
downward  and  at  their  foot  the  .trio  found  them- 
selves in  a  large  stone  cellar  of  tremendous  dimen- 
sions, the  flickering  lanterns  throwing  their  ligiht 
barely  to  the  farthest  walls.  Blannett  at  once 
turned  sharply  to  the  left  and  led  the  way  to  a 
dark  corner,  from  where  he  proceeded  to  count  five 
stones,  his  task  rendered  easy  by  the  fact  that  the 
stones  stood  upright,  the  sides  of  each  reaching 
from  top  to  bottom  of  the  cellar  wall.  At  the 
corner  designated  he  paused  and  rested  his  lantern 
tso  that  the  light  reflected  squarely  on  the  stone. 

"  Dig  there,"  he  commanded,  turning  to  Quincy. 

Without  a  moment's  hesitation  Quincy  sank  on 
one  knee  and  industriously  hacked  at  the  mortar 
which,  rendered  soft  by  age,  easily  crumbled  away 
beneath  the  strokes  of  his  hatchet.  As  he  chopped 
he  realized  that  the  particular  corner  which  he  was 
attacking  had  been  chinked  with  an  unusual  quan- 
tity of  mortar,  a  fact  which  gave  promise  of  a  large 
cavity  behind.  Slowly  the  mortar  fell  away  until 


140  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

his  ears  were  at  last  greeted  by  the  sharp  clank  of 
steel  on  steel.  Proceeding  then  more  gingerly,  he 
carefully  dug  away  the  remaining  particles  of  mor- 
tar and  was  at  last  able  to  see  in  the  dim  lantern 
light  a  round  steel  knob  protruding  from  what 
seemed  to  be  the  solid  stone  backing  of  the  hole. 
He  reached  in,  seized  the  knob  and  pulled  sharply. 
Instantly  the  great  stone  before  him  swung  noise- 
lessly on  invisible  pivots,  and  disclosed  a  short  cor- 
ridor of  dimensions  sufficient  for  the  passage  of  a 
man. 

Blannett  unhesitatingly  stepped  through  the 
opening,  followed  by  Quincy  and  Gates,  both  of 
whom  were  deeply  stirred  by  a  rising  sense  of  ex- 
citement. The  eyes  of  all  were  turned  instantly  to 
the  search  for  the  smallest  stone  in  the  passage, 
but  it  was  Quincy  who  discovered  it,  and  who  fol- 
lowed the  next  step  in  the  directions  by  pressing 
firmly  against  its  centre.  Again  they  witnessed  the 
phenomenon  of  a  seemingly  solid  stone  turning 
automatically  and  silently.  Another  passage  opened 
before  them,  and  again  they  crowded  through ;  but 
on  this  occasion  they  paused  abruptly  when  just 
within  the  'opening  and  stared  aghast  at  the  spec- 
tacle which  was  presented  to  their  gaze. 

The  floor  of  the  small  subterranean  chamber  was 
littered  with  human  bones,  intermingled  here  and 
there  with  a  rusted  weapon  or  a  tattered  bit  of 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  141 

cloth,  which  had  evidently  once  been  portions  of 
the  arms  and  clothing  of  members  of  Blannett's 
band. 

"  God!  "  exclaimed  Gates,  starting  back  involun- 
tarily and  seizing  Quincy's  arm  in  a  crushing  grasp. 
The  grip  at  any  other  time  would  have  brought  a 
grimace  of  pain;  but,  under  the  excitement  and 
strain  of  the  moment,  Quincy  paid  it  no  more  heed 
than  he  would  have  accorded  to  the  weight  of  a 
feather.  Blannett  alone  seemed  unmoved  by  the 
spectacle  and  turned  toward  them  smiling  grimly. 

"  What  do  you  make  of  this?  "  he  inquired,  his 
gaze  fixed  on  Quincy's  face. 

"  I  think,"  Quincy  replied  slowly,  "  that  we  have 
discovered  the  reason  why  Blannett's  secret  never 
became  known.  He  could  not  have  arranged  this 
hiding  place  alone  and  have  conveyed  the  treasure 
to  it.  He  needed  and  procured  help  for  the  work, 
but  he  most  effectually  silenced  their  tongues  when 
the  work  had  been  completed." 

Blannett  had  been  poking  carelessly  amid  the 
litter  and,  as  Quincy  finished,  he  straightened  up, 
holding  in  his  'hand  a  gold-mounted  pistol.  "  I 
agree  with  you,"  he  said,  nodding  his  head  slowly. 
"I  believe-  What  is  this?"  He  broke  off 
abruptly  and  stood  staring  fixedly  at  the  pistol. 
"  Our  traditions  never  hinted  at  this  possibility* 
Look  here."  He  extended  the  pistol  to  Quincy. 


142  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

Quincy  automatically  took  the  weapon  and  stared 
at  the  spot  on  which  Blannett's  eyes  had  been  fixed. 
There,  standing  out  dimly  in  the  lantern  light,  he 
read  the  single  word  "  Fenton."  His  eyes  won- 
deringly  sought  Blannett's,  only  to  be  met  by  a 
shrug  and  a  cool  shake  of  'the  head. 

"  It  is  evident  that  Black  Fenton's  insurrection 
ended  with  the  disappearance  of  ithe  treasure,"  he 
remarked  coolly.  "  It  is  perfectly  plain  that  what 
took  place  here  was  for  the  purpose  you  mentioned. 
Look  at  the  bones.  There  are  but  four  skulls  among 
them,  and  therefore  it  is  certain  that  only  four  men 
met  their  deaths  here.  How  Fenton  chanced  to  be 
among  them  I  suppose  we  must  leave  to  conjecture. 
Whether  he  was  chosen  to  assist  in  the  disposal  of 
the  treasure,  which  seems  decidedly  unlikely,  or 
whether  he  accidentally  stumbled  on  the  hiding 
place  at  the  moment  of  the  work's  completion  we 
cannot  say.  We  can  guess  what  happened  here; 
but  we  shall  never  know  for  a  certainty.  Suffice 
it  that  these  men  met  their  deaths  as  the  toll  of 
secrecy.  Now  let  us  proceed  with  our  own  affair." 

He  strode  to  the  right  hand  corner  of  the  room, 
unceremoniously  scraped  away  the  bones  and  debris 
which  blocked  his  passage,  and  pressed  his  foot  on 
the  square  stone.  At  once  a  section  of  the  floor 
dropped  away  from  almost  under  his  feet,  carrying 
down  a  quantity  of  bones  and  revealing  a  stairway. 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  143 

Blannett  descended  half-way  and  carelessly  tossed 
the  bones  out  upon  the  floor  of  the  room. 

"  By  all  the  devils,"  Gates  muttered  beneath  his 
breath,  "  I  believe  he  told  the  truth  when  he  said  that 
he  was  the  reincarnation  of  that  old  pirate.  Shall 
we  follow  him,  Sawyer?  What  is  to  prevent  him 
from  playing  a  trick  on  us  like  the  other  fellow 
played  on  these  poor  chaps?  We  never  would  be 
found  until  he  had  his  next  round  of  life,  a  couple 
of  centuries  in  the  future,  and  led  some  other  poor 
suckers  here." 

"  Then  keep  your  hand  on  your  gun,"  Quincy 
whispered,  dropping  into  the  hole  after  his  wild 
guide. 

"  I'll  keep  my  hand  on  it  all  right,"  Gates 
growled,  as  he  drew  his  revolver  from  its  accus- 
tomed pocket  and  followed  gingerly  in  the  rear  of 
his  companions.  "  And,  if  that  chap  tries  any- 
thing on,  he's  a  dead  pirate." 

The  passage  in  which  they  found  themselves  pro- 
ceeded in  a  straight  line  for  a  distance  of  about  ten 
feet  before  swinging  abruptly  to  the  right  and  en- 
tering a  low-studded  chamber,  which  seemed  to  be 
in  reality  a  sort  of  'sub-cellar  beneath  the  great 
vault  into  which  they  had  first  descended.  As  they 
approached  they  perceived  that  the  chamber  was 
well  filled  with  merchandise  of  some  sort,  but  it  was 
not  until  they  were  well  within  that  the  real  nature 


144  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

of  their  discovery  appeared  to  them.  Then,  as  the 
light  from  the  lanterns  filled  the  place,  they  stared 
in  wild-eyed  amazement. 

Tier  on  tier,  along  one  side  of  the  chamber,  were 
piled  solid  gold  bars  which  caught  the  light  from 
the  lanterns  -and  flashed  it  back  at  them  in  soft 
yellow  rays.  Nor  did  the  mass  of  bullion  complete 
the  wonders  of  this  veritable  Aladdin's  cave,  for, 
piled  indiscriminately  in  a  corner,  were  many  gems 
and  jewels,  some  unset  and  others  still  in  the  rings, 
necklaces  or  weapons  which  had  originally  con- 
tained them.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  in 
gold  and  jewels  lay  spread  about  the  three  inves- 
tigators, and  it  is  scarce  to  be  wondered  at  that 
their  breath  came  in  quick  gasps  and  their  eyes 
bulged  with  wonder.  It  was  not  until  Blannett's 
cool  voice  broke  the  stillness  that  the  two  detectives 
were  able  to  recall  themselves  to  earth. 

"  You  have  seen  what  is  before  you,  gentlemen," 
were  his  words.  "  Nobody  knows  of  this  place  but 
we  three.  Can  you  forget  your  quest,  and  my  ex- 
istence, if  I  offer  you  the  entire  treasure?  " 

For  a  moment  the  two  were  unable  to  regain  their 
senses,  but  almost  immediately  Quincy  shook  his 
head  with  violent  determination.  It  was  Gates, 
however,  who  spoke. 

"  I  have  always  been  a  poor  man,"  he  said  slowly, 
"  and  I  have  always  worked  for  every  cent  I  have 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  145 

possessed ;  but  I  have  lived  square  and,  by  God ! 
I  shall  die  square.  I  cannot  be  bought  off." 

A  look  of  admiration  spread  over  Blannett's  face, 
and  'his  'head  was  flung  back  in  pride  of  race. 

"  You  are  men !  "  he  cried.  "  Men !  Had  you 
accepted  my  offer  I  swear  by  all  that's  holy  you 
would  never  have  left  this  place  alive.  In  your 
eyes,  and  in  the  eyes  of  the  law,  I  am  a  criminal,  a 
murderer;  but  in  my  own  soul  I  feel  that  I  have 
done  no  wrong.  Be  that  as  it  may,  however,  for 
I  have  but  a  short  time  in  which  to  call  myself  a 
free  man,  and  as  such  I  make  a  final  request  of  you. 
This  treasure  can  never  be  returned  to  its  original 
owners,  nor  can  the  descendants  of  those  owners 
ever  be  located.  Their  claim  is  outlawed,  anyway. 
Therefore  it  belongs  to  my  men,  to  my  handful  of 
faithful  followers,  and  I  want  your  promise  that  you 
will  do  all  in  your  power  to  enable  them  to  get  it. 
Do  you  promise  ?  " 

Silently  the  two  nodded,  too  much  overcome  by 
amazement  to  be  really  aware  of  what  they  were 
promising,  or  why.  At  the  sign  Blannett  stooped 
suddenly  and  caught  up  at  random  two  jewelled 
daggers  from  the  floor,  placing  them  in  the  hands 
of  the  detectives. 

"  Take  these  as  a  small  token  of  my  regard,"  he 
said  with  dignity.  For  a  moment  afterward  he 
paused,  his  eyes  wandering  silently  over  them  and 


146  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

then,  suddenly  and  without  any  warning,  he  sprang 
full  on  Gates.  Whirling  the  inspector  back  as 
though  he  had  been  nothing  but  a  child,  Blannett's 
great  hand  closed  on  the  revolver  and  jerked  it  into 
his  own  grasp. 

Quincy  sprang  sharply  to  one  side,  his  own  re- 
volver in  his  hand;  but  only  to  find  himself  des- 
perately handicapped.  The  revolver  in  Blannett's 
hand  was  centred  on  Qtiincy's  head  with  immov- 
able steadiness,  while  Gates'  body,  used  as  a  shield, 
made  a  shot  by  Quincy  hazardous  in  the  extreme. 
For  a  few  seconds  the  tableau  was  maintained,  with 
Quincy  and  Blannett  glaring  at  each  other  over 
their  revolvers,  neither  caring  to  precipitate  hostili- 
ties by  a  shot.  At  last  Blannett,  the  savage  light  in 
his  eyes  diminishing  slightly,  spoke  in  his  cool  even 
tones. 

"  I  have  the  drop  on  you,  Mr.  Sawyer.  Throw 
down  your  revolver." 

There  being  no  other  course  open  to  him,  Quincy 
did  so,  standing  erect  after  the  pistol  had  clattered 
to  the  stone  floor  and  staring  quietly  into  Blannett's 
face.  Another  brief  interval  of  silence  followed 
and  then  Blannett  spoke  once  more. 

"  Stand  where  you  are  and  no  harm  will  come  to 
you!  I  am  willing  to  kill  in  fair  fight,  but  I  am 
no  murderer !  I  aim  a  free  man !  My  fathers  were 
free  men  before  me!  They  fought  and  they  died 


THE  GOLDEN  BELT  147 

with  laughter  on  their  lips,  and  their  blood  still 
flows  in  my  veins !  I  have  your  promise  to  see  that 
my  people  get  what  is  theirs  and  I  trust  you !  Now, 
good-bye !  " 

His  final  words  rang  out  proudly  as  he  hurled 
the  'helpless  Gates  from  him,  turned  the  revolver 
against  his  own  temple  and  pulled  the  trigger.  The 
report,  muffled  by  the  proximity  of  the  revolver  to 
his  head,  sounded  dully  in  the  close  chamber  as  he 
sank  quietly  to  the  floor. 

For  several  seconds  Quincy  did  not  stir,  his 
muscles  rendered  motionless  by  the  deed  which  he 
had  seen  enacted.  Then,  as  Gates  crawled  from 
the  corner  into  which  he  had  been  flung,  Quincy's 
eyes  rested  automatically  on  the  dagger  in  his 
hands.  "  H.  B."  'he  muttered  dully,  reading  the 
engraved  initials.  "  There  must  have  been  several 
of  these." 

Gates  arose  and  grimly  eyed  the  silent  figure  on 
the  floor.  "  Well,  Sawyer,"  he  muttered  thickly, 
"  I  guess  this  case  is  settled."  For  a  moment  he 
paused  and  then  added,  "  But  where  do  you  sup- 
pose Henry  Brown  came  in  ?  " 

"  He  didn't  come  in,"  Quincy  replied  briefly. 

"  But  what  of  that  pistol?  Blannett  had  a  pistol 
which  he  said  was  young  Fenton's,  and  Brown  said 
the  one  we  found  there  was  his.  What  do  you 
make  of  it?  " 


148  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  I  make  just  this,"  Quincy  replied.  "  There  is 
one  fact  which  we  are  prone  to  overlook  in  this 
business.  That  is,  that  sometimes  some  men  really 
do  tell  the  truth." 


Ill 

THE   AFFAIR   OF    UNREACHABLE    ISLAND 

INSPECTOR  GATES  poked  his  head  through  the 
doorway  of  Quincy's  office  and  watched  the  latter 
scowlingly  endeavour  to  unravel  the  kinks  in  the 
legal  phraseology  of  an  official-looking  document. 
For  several  seconds  he  held  his  position  before 
Quincy  became  aware  of  his  presence.  Then, 
glancing  hastily  up,  Quincy  greeted  him  with  his 
accustomed  grin. 

"  Hello,  Gates,"  he  called.  "  Come  in  and  tell 
me  the  news." 

Gates  entered  and,  holding  the  door  open  with 
one  hand,  beckoned  for  some  unseen  companion  to 
follow  him.  "  I  have  here,  Sawyer,"  he  said,  "  a 
gentleman  from  out  of  the  state  who  brings  with 
him  an  interesting  case.  I  can't  touch  it,  of  course, 
so  I  am  introducing  him  to  you." 

As  the  stranger  entered  Quincy  hastily  inventoried 
his  appearance.  The  man  was  patently  from  the 
rural  districts,  his  clothes  being  of  that  nondescript 
pattern  which  serves  the  countryman  as  a  "  best 
suit "  through  years  of  "  Sunday  services,"  fune- 

140 


150  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

rals  and  similar  dress  occasions  in  the  outlying  com- 
munities. The  perfect  neatness  of  every  article  of 
clothing,  however,  together  with  the  dark  blue 
colouring,  indicated  that  the  man  was  a  careful 
dresser,  according  to  his  own  tastes,  and  that  pre- 
vailing styles  meant  little  to  him.  The  cut  of  the 
clothes  and  a  certain  air  of  subconscious  authority 
which  appeared  in  the  stranger's  manner  caused 
Quincy  almost  immediately  to  set  ihim  down  as  a 
seaman,  probably  an  officer,  and  this  conclusion 
Gates  promptly  verified. 

"This  is  Captain  Zebedee  Orcutt,"  Gates  pro- 
ceeded with  the  introduction,  "and  he  desires  to 
secure  your  services,  Sawyer." 

The  stranger  smilingly  acknowledged  the  intro- 
duction and  accepted  the  chair  which  Quincy  pushed 
forward.  Seating  himself,  his  face  almost  at  once 
assumed  a  graver  expression  and  for  a  few  seconds 
he  stared  reflectively  at  Quincy,  unconsciously 
smoothing  with  one  hand  his  shaggy  bush  of  white 
whiskers  as  he  did  so.  As  he  prepared  to  speak 
again  the  pleasant  little  lines  which  netted  his 
face  changed  into  an  expression  of  troubled  con- 
cern. 

"  Yes,  my  name  is  Orcutt,"  he  commenced, 
speaking  rapidly,  as  though  anxious  to  get  the 
affair  out  of  his  own  hands  and  into  others  more 
capable  of  taking  charge  of  it  "  I  hail  from  York 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  151 

Village,  Maine,  where  I  have  lived  all  my  life  and 
where  I  am  known  to  everybody.  This  story  con- 
cerns my  daughter,  Eleanor,  and  I  want  help  right 
away  because  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  she  is  in 
grave  danger.  The  story  is  a  queer  one,  and  I 
hardly  know  how  to  begin  it."  He  paused 
briefly,  as  though  collecting  his  thoughts,  while 
Quincy  waited  with  patient  courtesy  for  him  to 
continue. 

"  My  daughter/'  and  at  the  words  a  note  of  pride 
crept  into  his  voice,  "  is  really  a  very  beautiful  girl, 
one  of  the  handsomest  I  have  ever  seen,  and  I've 
been  in  every  civilized  country  on  the  globe.  She  is 
now  twenty  years  old,  and  the  trouble  I  am  going 
to  tell  you  about  originated  two  years  ago.  At  that 
time  she  was  engaged  to  a  young  fellow  in  Ports- 
mouth, a  man  of  whom  everybody  spoke  in  the 
highest  of  terms.  Everything  went  fine  with  them, 
and  she  was  as  happy  as  a  clam  at  high  tide,  up  to 
a  week  before  the  day  when  the  wedding  was  to 
have  taken  place. 

"  Then  the  young  fellow,  Harrison  his  name  was, 
came  up  from  Portsmouth  to  take  out  the  marriage 
license.  He  stayed  with  Eleanor  all  day  and  they, 
with  her  mother  and  me,  put  in  most  of  the  time 
talking  over  plans  for  the  wedding.  She  had  al- 
ways lived  in  York,  and,  as  everybody  in  town  is 
acquainted  with  everybody  else,  she  wanted  a  church 


152  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

wedding  so  all  the  neighbours  could  be  invited. 
Of  course  that  took  a  lot  of  planning,  as  there  has 
to  be  more  fuss  on  the  day  a  girl  is  married  than 
there  is  during  all  the  rest  of  her  life. 

"  Young  Harrison  stayed  to  supper  and  they 
talked  during  the  early  part  of  the  evening.  Then 
he  took  his  hired  rig  and  set  out  to  drive  to  Kittery, 
from  where  he  would  cross  to  Portsmouth.  That 
was  the  last  we  ever  saw  of  him  alive,  for  his  horse 
turned  up  that  night  alone  at  the  livery  stable  where 
it  had  been  hired,  and  it  was  three  days  later  that 
we  found  Harrison's  body  wedged  between  two 
rocks  off  Cat  Point.  The  back  of  his  head  had 
been  crushed  in  by  a  blow  and  his  body  thrown  in 
the  water.  It  may  'have  drifted  around  with  the 
tide  a  day  or  two  before  it  finally  lodged  in  the 
rocks. 

"  Of  course  we  hunted  for  the  murderer,  but 
county  sheriffs  and  town  constables  can't  seem  to 
do  work  like  that  successfully.  They  are  all  right 
in  cases  where  physical  courage  is  needed;  but  I 
guess  they  don't  get  enough  practice  in  the  fancy 
lines  of  their  business  to  make  them  experts  at  it. 
At  any  rate,  we  never  found  any  trace  of  the  man 
who  killed  Harrison. 

"  Eleanor  was  completely  prostrated  by  the  oc- 
currence and  it  was  a  year  before  she  fully  recov- 
ered and  once  more  appeared  like  her  former  self. 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  153 

Then  -another  young  fellow,  Oscar  Silsby  from) 
Kittery,  fell  in  love  with  her.  She  was  naturally 
a  bit  stand-offish  for  a  time,  as  she  had  not  for- 
gotten young  Harrison;  but  I  guess  it  is  one  of 
the  first  laws  of  nature  for  young  folks  to  fall  in 
love  with  each  other,  and  so  it  wasn't  long  before 
she  came  to  me  and  told  me  that  she  was  engaged 
to  Silsby. 

"  They  were  to  have  been  married  a  week  ago 
yesterday,  and  Silsby  had  moved  his  things  up  from 
Kittery  because  I  had  conditioned  that  they  live 
with  us  a  year.  You  see,  her  mother  and  I  kind  of 
wanted  to  get  used  to  losing  our  daughter  gradu- 
ally, and  we  couldn't  seem  to  spare  her  all  at  once. 
After  moving  his  things  up  he  went  back  to  Kittery 
to  make  some  final  arrangements  of  his  business 
affairs,  and  was  intending  to  drive  back  that  eve- 
ning in  time  for  the  wedding.  This  wedding  was 
to  have  been  a  private  affair  at  -the  house,  with  a 
reception  to  the  neighbours  afterward,  and  there 
wern't  so  many  heavy  arrangements  as  there  had 
been  for  the  first  one. 

"  Everything  was  ready  that  night,  with  the  par- 
son present  and  the  few  invited  guests  on  hand,  but 
for  some  reason  Silsby  wasn't  on  time.  We  waited 
for  half  an  hour  beyond  the  time  set  for  the  wed- 
ding, and  then  Eleanor  went  into  hysterics,  fearing 
•that  Silsby  had  met  the  same  fate  as  had  young 


154  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

Harrison,  and  the  wedding  guests  were  formed  into 
a  hastily-organized  searching  party. 

"  We  went  down  the  road  in  the  direction  of 
Kittery  and,  about  a  mile  from  the  house,  we  found 
his  horse  and  buggy,  the  horse  badly  lamed,  stand- 
ing at  the  side  of  the  road.  There  were  no  blood- 
stains nor  signs  of  violence  that  we  could  see,  and 
neither  was  there  any  sign  of  Silsby.  We  searched 
all  night,  but  discovered  nothing,  and  it  was  not 
until  nearly  noon  of  the  next  day  that  I  accidentally 
discovered  his  whereabouts. 

"  I  had  been  down  along  the  beach  toward  Kit- 
tery, because  the  tide  runs  so  strong  near  my  place 
that  nothing  is  ever  washed  ashore.  I  had  stayed 
on  the  beach  until  the  tide  turned,  looking  with  my 
ships'  glasses  for  his  body,  but  had  found  no  trace 
of  it.  On  my  way  back  home  I  happened  to  glance 
toward  Unreachable  Island,  which  lies  well  up 
toward  the  York  shore,  and  I  caught  a  glimpse  of 
something  lying  on  the  island's  beach  well  in 
toward  where  the  sand  runs  into  grass  land.  I 
trained  my  glasses  on  it,  and  sure  enough  it  was  a 
man.  It  is  impossible  to  reach  ithe  island  from  the 
landward  side,  so  I  ran  back  to  Kittery  and  hired 
a  tug. 

"  We  went  to  the  island  and  found  Oscar  lying 
there  bound  hand  and  foot  and  unconscious.  We 
rushed  him  to  York  and  into  the  nearest  doctor's 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  155 

office,  where  he  was  revived  with  much  difficulty. 
But  even  then  he  was  unable  to  tell  us  much  about 
his  recent  experience. 

"  He  said  that  the  night  previous  had  been  very 
dark  and  that,  on  his  way  to  York,  he  had  left  the 
work  of  keeping  in  the  road  largely  to  his  horse's 
instinct.  Perhaps  iit  was  not  altogether  instinct, 
for  the  horse  had  travelled  the  road  so  many  times 
that  he  must  have  known  every  foot  of  it  by  daylight 
or  dark.  It  may  be  that  it  would  have  been  better 
if  the  horse  had  not  been  so  familiar  with  the  way, 
for  the  certainty  of  'his  footing  caused  him  to  trot, 
•and  the  first  thing  that  Oscar  knew  the  horse  had 
stumbled  and  fallen.  Then,  as  Oscar  jumped  from 
the  buggy  to  raise  the  horse,  something,  he  thinks 
it  must  have  been  a  man's  fist,  struck  him  a  regular 
knock-out  blow,  and  he  became  unconscious,  not 
regaining  his  senses  again  until  he  was  revived  in 
the  doctor's  office." 

"  Pardon  me  a  moment,"  Quincy  broke  in. 
"  Did  the  doctor  say  that  the  man  bore  any  indica- 
tions of  having  been  drugged  ?  " 

"  He  didn't  say,"  the  captain  responded  slowly. 

"  Very  well,  then.  Proceed  with  your  story. 
It  seems  hard  to  believe,  however,  that  a  man 
merely  knocked  out  by  some  person's  fist  should 
have  remained  unconscious  during  all  that  period 
of  time." 


156  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  Well,"  the  captain  continued,  "  the  whole  af- 
fair is  a  strange  mystery.  No  clue  was  found  at 
the  place  where  the  assault  was  committed,  except 
for  a  piece  of  heavy  fish  line  which  had  been  tied 
across  'the  road  to  trip  the  horse.  The  line  is  worth- 
less as  a  clue  because  lines  exactly  like  it  may  be 
found  in  every  fisherman's  outfit  from  Bath  to 
Gloucester.  The  whole  affair  is  so  strange,  and  I 
have  become  so  frightened  for  my  daughter,  that  I 
have  come  here  to  get  what  assistance  I  can.  Now, 
if  you  can  help  one,  for  God's  sake  do." 

The  captain  finished  his  narrative  and  leaned 
back,  looking  from  one  to  the  other  of  his  hearers 
with  an  expression  of  hopeless  bewilderment  on 
his  face.  Quincy  spoke  after  a  brief  pause. 

"  Captain  Orcutt,"  he  said,  "  I  am  wondering 
concerning  that  island.  In  my  experience  I  have 
found  that  all  those  little  islands  off  your  coast 
have  been  named  with  descriptive  phrases.  Does 
1  Unreachable '  signify  that  the  island  cannot  be 
reached  except  in  a  tug?" 

"  The  term  is  purely  a  nautical  one,"  the  captain 
informed  him.  "  You  see  the  term  '  reach  '  means 
to  sail  abeam,  or  at  right  angles  to  the  way  in  which 
the  wind  blows.  To  get  to  the  island  a  boat  could 
not  sail  abeam,  or  reach,  on  account  of  the  swift 
tide,  and,  as  the  strip  of  water  is  sheltered  on  the 
landward  side,  it  would  be  impossible  to  sail  in  any 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  157 

other  way.  A  small  boat  such  as  a  dory  would  be 
carried  away  like  a  chip  if  it  attempted  to  cross. 
In  regard  to  this  particular  instance,  however,  there 
is  a  way,  unknown  to  me,  by  which  the  island  may 
be  reached  at  low  tide  over  a  series  of  stepping 
stones  which  lie  about  two  feet  under  water  at  that 
time.  I  have  never  crossed  them,  nor  have  they 
ever  been  crossed,  to  my  knowledge,  except  by  one 
man."  As  the  captain  paused  in  his  story  the 
muscles  of  his  jaws  hardened  perceptibly. 

"  Then  you  suspect  somebody,"  Quincy  broke  in 
hastily. 

"  Yes,  I  do ;  but  the  strange  part  of  the  business 
is  that  if  the  man  whom  I  suspect  is  guilty  of  this 
attempt  it  will  leave  the  other  affair  as  deep  a  mys- 
tery as  ever,  for  I  do  not  think  'he  could  have  been 
connected  with  both.  I  may  be  wrong  in  this ;  but 
for  some  reason  I  have  formed  a  firm  opinion  (that 
these  affairs  are  connected  with  each  other. 

"  The  man  whom  I  suspect  in  this  case  is  Ben- 
jamin Silsby,  Oscar's  brother.  You  must  under- 
stand that  it  would  take  a  powerful  man  to  carry 
a  senseless  body  across  those  stones,  and  such  a 
man  Benjamin  is.  Furthermore,  he  is  the  only 
man  I  know  of  who  has  ever  crossed  those  stones. 
What  is  still  more  to  the  point  is  the  fact  that  he 
had  the  motive  for  the  crime,  and  I  believe  the 
motive  is  what  you  detectives  always  look  for. 


158  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

When  the  father  of  the  two  boys  died,  he  left  a 
tidy  little  house  and  a  fair  amount  of  money.  The 
money  was  equally  divided,  but  it  was  stipulated  in 
•his  will  ithat  the  house  was  to  go  to  the  son  who 
was  first  married.  Benjamin  has  never  been  on 
friendly  terms  with  his  brother  since  Oscar's  en- 
gagement to  Eleanor  was  first  announced.  He  has 
often  accused  Oscar  of  desiring  to  turn  him  from 
his  home,  and  the  result  is  that  a  tremendous  breach 
'has  been  opened  between  them.  Of  course  Oscar's 
marriage  would  turn  Benjamin  out,  and  I  argue 
that  he  may  have  done  this  thing  with  the  intention 
of  removing  Oscar  from  his  path  and  securing  an 
incontestable  right  to  'the  house.  This  supposition 
is  rendered  still  stronger  by  the  fact  that  'he  dis- 
appeared on  the  day  set  for  the  wedding  and  has 
not  been  located  since." 

"  That  is  well  argued,  Captain,"  Quincy  thought- 
fully agreed,  "  but  there  still  remain  other  possibili- 
ties, I  suppose.  I  want  to  become  familiar  with 
every  one  of  them.  Has  your  daughter  any  other 
admirers,  so  far  as  you  are  aware?  " 

"  No,"  the  captain  replied.  "  I  retired  from 
active  service  five  years  ago  and  she  has  never, 
since  I  have  been  home,  been  sought  by  any  man 
other  than  the  two  to  whom  she  has  been  engaged. 
In  fact,  I  have  had  her  with  me  always,  for  she  and 
her  mother  used  to  accompany  me  on  nearly  every 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  159 

trip.  I  was  in  the  Trans-Atlantic  passenger  serv- 
ice, which  fact,"  he  added  with  a  twinkle,  "  will  ac- 
count for  my  being  able  to  talk  in  everyday  English 
and  without  such  embellishments  as  '  shiver  my 
timbers  '  and  '  avast  there,'  with  which  novelists  so 
delight  in  endowing  all  seafaring  men." 

"  But,  Captain,"  Quincy  persisted,  "  she  must 
have  had  other  male  acquaintances.  What  I  want 
is  to  discover  as  much  as  possible  about  her  intimate 
associates." 

"  Of  course  she  knew  all  the  young  men  in  our 
vicinity/'  the  captain  continued ;  "  but  I  wyould 
stake  my  reputation  that  none  of  them  would  com- 
mit a  crime  such  as  this  in  order  to  clear  the  way 
so  that  he  might  get  her,  if  that  is  what  you  wish 
to  infer.  The  only  other  male  acquaintance  with 
whom  she  has  come  in  frequent  contact  is  Lieu- 
tenant Frederick  Denham,  stationed  at  the  Ports- 
mouth navy  yard,  and  he  is  a  friend  of  mine, 
rather  ithan  of  hers." 

"  But  couldn't  he  'have  been  in  love  with  her?  " 
Ouincy  questioned  quickly. 

"  Lord  bless  you,  no !  Poor  Denham  was  en- 
gaged to  a  young  woman  who  fell  overboard  in 
some  manner  from  my  ship  during  the  last  trip  I 
made.  He  took  her  loss  so  much  to  heart  that  he 
has  hardly  ever  looked  at  any  woman  since.  He 
seems  to  be  almost  afraid  of  them.  Then,  too,  he 


160  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

was  invited  to  both  weddings  and  was  to  have 
played  an  important  part  in  each,  an  usher  at  the 
first  and  best  man  at  the  second.  He  'hated  wed- 
dings on  account  of  the  memories  they  brought  him, 
and  he  agreed  to  be  present  ait  Eleanor's  only  be- 
cause we  urged  ihim  so  'hard.  He  is  an  old  friend 
of  Oscar's,  and  'has  passed  weeks  at  his  house  on 
several  occasions.  He  is  at  my  house  now  helping 
to  look  after  Oscar  and  assisting  in  every  way  he 
can.  You  can  safely  put  him  out  of  your  mind, 
because  he  knows  nothing  of  the  approach  to  the 
island  nor  has  he  the  build  to  carry  a  man  the  size 
of  Oscar  across  those  stones,  even  if  he  knew  of 
them." 

Quincy  nodded  assent  as  the  captain  incontro- 
vertibly  disposed  of  Denham  as  a  factor  in  the  case, 
and  appeared  to  run  over  the  case  in  his  own  mind. 
The  facts  appearing  to  be  fixed  to  his  satisfaction, 
he  quickly  put  an  end  to  the  consultation. 

"  Captain,"  he  directed,  "  you  go  back  to  York 
as  quickly  as  you  can  get  there  and  wait  for  me. 
If  your  people  do  not  know  what  your  purpose  was 
in  coming  to  Boston,  tell  them  nothing  of  your 
visit,  or,  if  they  do  know  of  your  purpose,  give 
them  to  understand  that  the  results  have  been  un- 
satisfactory. I  shall  arrive  in  York  very  closely 
behind  you,  and  you  are  to  treat  me  as  a  guest, 
boarder,  or  whatever  you  please.  Under  no  condi- 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  161 

tion  are  you  to  tell  the  real  purpose  of  my  visit  to 
anybody,  not  even  to  your  wife  or  daughter.  Be 
certain  to  obey  this  last  direction  to  the  letter,  for 
it  is  important.  Now  hurry  back  to  York." 

The  captain  rose  with  alacrity  and  prepared  to 
depart.  Unquestioning  obedience  to  orders  was  a 
part  of  his  calling,  and  it  made  no  difference 
whether  the  orders  were  issued  to  him  or  by  him. 
With  a  hopeful  smile  on  his  face  he  bowed  him- 
self out  of  the  door  and  was  gone. 

"  Well,  Gates,"  Quincy  questioned,  as  the  captain 
disappeared,  "  how  does  this  case  strike  you  ?  " 

"  It  strikes  me  that  I  would  like  to  be  in  on  it," 
Gates  replied  somewhat  enviously.  "  I  only  wish 
that  it  had  occurred  in  Boston." 

"  There  is  one  thing,"  Quincy  remarked  thought- 
fully, "  that  strikes  me  as  being  very  strange  in 
this  affair.  Can  you  imagine,  Gates,  what  motive 
a  man  would  have  in  overpowering  another  man 
and  ithen  hiding  :him  in  plain  sight  on  the  landward 
side  of  an  island  when  he  could  just  as  easily  have 
disposed  of  him  farther  toward  the  interior?  Or, 
what  is  still  more  strange,  when  he  could  just  as 
easily  have  killed  him  outright  and  then  have  buried 
the  body  on  the  island  where,  according  to  the  cap- 
tain's statement,  the  chances  are  strong  that  it  would 
never  have  been  discovered?" 

"  The  only  answer  I  can  think  of,"  Gates  re- 


162  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

plied,  after  a  brief  interval  of  thought,  "  is  that  he 
may  have  wished  merely  to  scare  the  man  and  fully 
intended  that  'he  should  be  discovered." 

"  Or,"  Quincy  supplemented,  "  that  he  had  strong- 
reason  to  believe  that  the  man  would  be  dead  before 
morning,  and  wished  the  body  to  be  found  as  a 
warning  to  other  men." 

Gates  seemed  somewhat  mystified  by  the  reply, 
but  made  no  comment  other  than  to  arch  his  eye- 
brows and  slightly  shrug  his  shoulders,  a  motion 
which  was  characteristic'  of  him  when  strongly  in 
doubt.  For  a  time  -he  sat  idly  by,  watching  Quincy 
with  envious  eyes  while  the  laitter  completed  his 
preparations  for  making  the  trip  to  York. 

"  Gee,  Sawyer,"  he  muttered,  rising  to  depart, 
"  you  free  lances  certainly  do  get  all  the  fun  out 
of  life,  while  we  regulars  scrape  along  on  the  sec- 
ondaries." He  paused  in  the  doorway  a  moment, 
the  envious  look  still  in  his  eyes,  and  then  with  a 
friendly  grin  turned  on  his  <heel  and  disappeared. 

Captain  Orcutt  was  seated  on  his  front  piazza 
when  Quincy  lumbered  up,  seated  in  a  decrepit  old 
depot  wagon.  At  sight  of  him  the  captain  bounded 
from  his  chair  and  rushed  forward  with  a  shouted 
greeting  thait  sounded  almost  too  fervent  to  be  real. 

"  I  told  the  folks,"  he  whispered,  as  Quincy 
stepped  from  the  rickety  conveyance,  "  that  you 
was  an  old  friend  I  met  on  one  of  my  trips  and  that 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  163 

you  was  going  to  pay  us  a  short  visit.  I  told  them 
they  mustn't  disturb  you,  and  that  you  were  to  have 
the  whole  run  of  the  place  just  as  you  pleased." 

At  the  information  Quincy  started  a  trifle  dis- 
concertedly.  "  You  weren't  suspiciously  urgent  in 
making  the  latter  demand,  were  you,  Captain  ?  "  he 
questioned. 

"  Lord,  I  don't  know,"  said  the  captain  seriously. 
"  I  guess  I  never  was  cut  out  for  an  actor.  Any- 
how, nobody  seemed  to  think  there  was  anything 
funny  about  it,  so  I  guess  it's  all  right.  But  come 
right  in." 

They  entered  the  house  and  Quincy  had  his  first 
view  of  the  principal  characters  in  the  curious 
drama.  Eleanor  he  found,  as  the  captain  had  de- 
scribed her,  a  girl  of  striking  charm-,  although  her 
recent  experiences  had  deeply  marked  and  drawn 
her  face,  not  so  greatly,  however,  that  its  beauty 
was  permanently  injured,  and  it  was  evident  that 
renewed  ease  of  mind  would  return  to  her  features 
all  that  were  rightfully  theirs.  Oscar  Silsby  still 
lay  stretched  on  a  couch,  recovering  from  his 
recent  adventure.  He  was  a  large-framed,  power- 
ful young  man,  whose  main  regret  appeared  to  be 
that  he  had  not  seen  his  assailant  approaching,  a 
failure  which  had  undoubtedly  been  conducive  to 
the  continuing  good  health  of  the  assailant. 

Lieutenant  Denham  appeared  in  the  person  of  a 


164  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

slightly  built,  frank-faced  man  of  about  Silsby's 
age,  but  wihose  figure  stood  out  like  that  of  a  boy's 
beside  the  massive  bulk  of  'his  friend.  The  idea  of 
his  endeavouring  to  carry  the  huge  body  beside  him 
through  a  powerful  tide  and  across  treacherous 
stepping  stones  appeared  almost  humourous  in  the 
light  of  its  positive  impossibility.  The  remaining 
figure  of  the  group,  Mrs.  Orcutt,  was  a  woman  of 
the  type  native  to  the  rural  New  England  districts. 
Her  figure  appeared  to  possess  a  strength  that 
would  be  capable  of  rendering  a  good  account  of 
itself  in  physical  conflict  with  any  person  present, 
even  the  mighty  young  Silsby  himself.  She  ap- 
peared taciturn  and,  although  evidently  anxious  to 
do  for  the  stranger  all  that  hospitality  demanded, 
she  early  made  it  plain  to  Quincy  that  he  was  her 
husband's  guest  and  not  hers.  Her  chief  concern 
seemed  to  be  for  her  daughter  and  from  the  girl's 
side  she  was  hardly  ever  separated. 

At  the  time  of  Quincy's  arrival  all  things  ap- 
peared to  be  progressing  smoothly.  The  evening 
passed  quietly,  and  without  the  appearance  of  any 
further  developments.  The  captain  seemed  in  an 
excellent  humour,  and  regaled  his  guest  with  story 
after  story  of  his  experiences,  many  of  which  had 
been  met  in  faraway  corners  of  the  earth.  Lieu- 
tenant Denham  added  a  few  anecdotes  of  the  navy, 
and  even  Mrs.  Orcutt  thawed  out  sufficiently  to 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  165 

contribute  an  occasional  remark  to  the  conversation. 
Silsby  and  Eleanor,  however,  remained  silent  for 
the  most  part,  appearing  to  be  fully  occupied  with 
their  own  thoughts. 

When  the  party  broke  up  at  the  usual  early  hour 
of  the  country,  Quincy  seated  himself  before  an 
open  window  in  his  room  and  prepared  to  consider 
the  matter  in  hand  with  the  aid  of  his  battered  old 
briar  pipe.  During  the  entire  evening  he  had  been 
covertly  watching  every  member  of  the  household 
and,  so  far  as  he  had  been  able  to  observe,  not  a 
single  false  or  suspicious  move  had  been  made. 
According  ito  his  usual  custom  he  set  about  his  task 
of  careful  elimination  and  revolved  the  case  slowly 
in  his  mind  as  he  stared  out  into  the  moonlight. 
Theory  after  theory  he  'mapped  out,  only  to  have 
each  carefully  erected  idea  come  crashing  down  as 
the  weak  spot  in  its  structure  became  apparent. 
For  nearly  an  hour  he  had  been  busy  with  the  task 
in  hand  when  suddenly  he  was  brought  out  of  his 
reveries  with  a  start  as  some  small  missile  struck 
him  in  the  face  with  stinging  force. 

The  missile  bounded  back  from  his  face  and 
rolled  slowly  along  the  window  sill,  being  identified 
as  a  pebble  before  its  progress  had  been  arrested. 
Staring  sharply  out  into  the  open,  Quincy  was  able 
dimly  to  make  out  the  figure  of  a  man  crouching 
in  the  shadow  of  a  large  lilac  bush  and  apparently 


166  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

beckoning  wildly  to  attract  his  attention.  For  a 
moment  he  hesitated  and  then,  swinging  lithely  for- 
ward, 'he  let  himself  over  the  sill  and  dropped  easily 
to  the  ground.  Running  forward  he  was  almost 
immediately  ait  the  side  of  the  mysterious  figure, 
eager  to  discover  who  the  visitor  might  be. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  "  he  questioned,  as  he  drew 
up  in  the  shade  of  the  bush. 

"  I  want  a  little  of  your  fun,  that's  all,"  came 
the  cool  reply. 

"  Gates !  "  Quincy  exclaimed  in  astonishment. 
"  What  the  deuce  are  you  doing  here  ?  " 

Gates  settled  comfortably  back  on  his  heels  be- 
fore replying.  "  I'm  sick  of  routine  work,  Saw- 
yer," he  complained.  "  I've  been  chasing  through 
pawn  shops  for  weeks,  doing  nothing  more  impor- 
tant than  discovering  the  thieves  of  fake  diamonds 
and  cheap  watches,  until  I'm  sick  and  tired  of  it 
all.  I  felt  as  though  I  was  entitled  to  a  little  change 
so,  when  this  case  came  up,  I  wheedled  the  old  man 
into  giving  me  a  leave  of  absence,  and  came  up  here 
to  place  myself  under  your  orders.  Now,  if  you 
undertake  to  send  me  back  and  keep  me  out  of  this 
case,  I'll  simply  run  amuck  and  pull  you  to  pieces." 

Quincy  grinned  at  the  fervency  with  which  the 
last  words  were  uttered,  and  then  sank  slowly  by 
Gates'  side.  "  You  need  have  no  fear  on  that 
score,"  he  said.  "  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  I  shall 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  167 

need  help  on  this  case,  and  I  am  not  only  willing 
to  have  you  here,  but  intensely  pleased  to  see  you." 

He  paused  abruptly,  as  he  made  the  remark,  and, 
whirling  half  around,  listened  intently,  while  Gates 
drew  farther  into  the  shadow  of  the  bush,  and  lis- 
tened with  equal  attention.  From  the  direction  of 
the  house  had  come  a  faint  click,  followed  by  the 
sound  of  soft  footfalls  across  the  floor  of  the  piazza. 
Then  the  sounds  ceased,  and  the  two  were  able  to 
see  the  figure  of  a  man  step  from  the  piazza  to 
the  lawn  and  steal  swiftly  off  into  the  night.  As 
the  man  passed  over  a  narrow  strip  of  moonlit  lawn 
Quincy  gave  vent  to  a  startled  exclamation,  for  the 
man  was  unquestionably  no  other  than  Captain 
Orcutt  himself. 

Without  pausing  to  argue  with  each  other  the 
probable  purpose  of  the  captain's  strange  trip, 
Quincy  and  Gates  bent  low  over  the  ground  and 
ran  carefully  forward,  their  feet  making  no  sound 
in  the  thick  grass.  When  they  drew  up  again  they 
were  but  a  few  yards  in  the  captain's  rear,  and  they 
studiously  maintained  that  distance  until,  when  well 
within  the  woods,  which  proved  to  be  little  more 
than  a  scattered  grove,  the  captain  paused  and  gazed 
stealthily  about.  Apparently  satisfied  with  his  ob- 
servation of  the  surroundings,  he  emitted  a  low 
whistle  which  was  almost  immediately  answered 
from  a  point  somewhat  to  one  side. 


168  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

Dropping  flat  on  the  earth,  Quincy  and  Gates 
strained  eyes  and  ears  to  gather  whatever  informa- 
tion they  could  from  this  strange  affair,  watching 
intently  as  a  second  figure  detached  itself  from  the 
shadows  and  came  forward  to  meet  the  captain. 
They  saw  the  two  men  come  together,  heard  the 
dim  hum  of  their  voices,  pitched  in  too  low  a  tone 
for  them  to  catch  the  words,  and  then  distinctly 
saw  something  passed  from  one  to  another  of  the 
two,  but  because  of  the  poor  light  they  were  unable 
to  tell  which  man  had  done  the  passing. 

With  as  much  stealth  as  they  had  employed  in 
meeting,  the  two  men  drew  apart,  the  second  figure 
slinking  off  into  the  shadows,  while  the  captain 
faced  about  and  came  directly  toward  where  the 
two  watchers  were  partially  concealed.  With 
bated  breath  they  held  their  positions,  not  daring 
to  move  hand  or  foot  for  fear  of  discovery;  but, 
to  their  intense  relief,  the  captain  passed  without 
appearing  to  catch  sight  of  them  and  they  riSted 
that  beneath  one  arm  he  carried  a  parcel.  Again 
the  game  of  chase  was  on,  the  detectives  this  time 
maintaining  a  distance  farther  in  the  captain's  rear 
than  that  which  thev  had  kept  on  the  outward  trip. 

But  their  caution  appeared  unnecessary,  for  the 
captain,  seeming  to  feel  less  need  for  care  now  that 
his  purpose,  whatever  it  had  been,  was  accomplished, 
strode  straight  for  the  house.  He  did  not  at  once 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  169 

re-enter,  however;  but,  instead,  skirted  along  the 
outer  wall  until  he  reached  the  side  of  a  little  shed 
somewhat  to  the  rear.  The  two  did  not  follow,  but 
remained  hidden  in  the  long  grass,  from  where  they 
watched  the  old  man  at  a  distance.  Captain  Orcutt 
stooped  a  moment  at  the  side  of  the  shed,  drew  out 
two  or  three  large  stones  from  its  foundation  and 
quickly  thrust  his  package  through  the  opening  thus 
formed.  Then,  replacing  the  stones,  he  once  more 
made  for  the  house  and  quickly  disappeared  within. 

"  What  do  you  make  of  that?  "  Gates  questioned 
m  a  whisper. 

Quincy  chuckled  softly  as  he  replied :  "  I  don't 
make  anything  of  importance  of  it.  In  fact,  I  think 
we  have  wasted  our  time  in  so  carefully  stalking 
the  captain  while  we  might  have  been  engaged  in 
hunting  more  interesting  game." 

"  But  that  package/'  Gates  persisted.  "  Don't 
you  think  we  had  better  discover  what  it  contains?  " 

"  Oh,  very  well.  Do  so  if  you  like,"  Quincy  re- 
plied nonchalantly.  "  But,  before  you  investigate, 
Gates,  let  me  caution  you  to  remember  where  you 
are."  The  last  words  were  accompanied  by  a  low 
chuckle  and  Gates  stared  questioningly  at  the  sound. 

"  I'm  going  to  look,  anyway,"  he  declared, 
making  off  toward  the  shed. 

Quincy  followed  after,  still  chuckling  audibly, 
and  appearing  to  hugely  enjoy  the  anticipation  of 


170  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

Gates'  discovery.  Provoked  at  Quincy's  behaviour, 
Gates  stubbornly  held  to  his  course,  and  proceeded 
directly  to  the  spot  where  they  had  seen  the  package 
concealed.  Hastily  pulling  out  the  three  stones,  he 
plunged  his  hand  into  the  opening  where  it  at  once 
closed  on  the  mysterious  parcel.  He  drew  it  forth, 
feeling  through  the  paper  that  it  contained  a  hard, 
heavy  object.  Quickly  breaking  the  twine,  he  tore 
off  the  paper  and  paused  in  amazement,  his  eyes 
blinking  with  the  suddenness  of  the  surprise  and  the 
blood  rising  angrily  to  his  face  at  the  renewed 
sound  of  Quincy's  chuckles.  In  a  twinkling  the 
meaning  of  Quincy's  command  to  remember  where 
he  was  flashed  over  him.  The  paper  contained  a 
quart  bottle  of  whisky. 

"  Remember  where  I  am,"  Gates  muttered,  dis- 
gustedly. "  Sure.  In  Maine,  a  '  dry  '  state.  The 
captain  was  merely  out  to  smuggle  in  his  regular 
supply  of  wet  goods.  Bah !  " 

Feeling  like  a  criminal  caught  red-handed,  he 
quickly  rewrapped  the  parcel  and  returned  it  to  its 
hiding  place,  his  feelings  in  no  way  rendered  more 
serene  by  the  sound  of  Quincy's  continued  chuckles. 

"Well,  wihat  shall  we  do  now?"  he  snapped, 
when  the  parcel  had  been  reconsigned  to  its  original 
resting  place. 

At  the  words  Quincy's  gravity  returned,  and  he 
carefully  consulted  his  watch  before  replying.  "  I 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  171 

think,"  he  said,  "  that  we  had  best  take  a  turn  down 
toward  Kittery  and  investigate  the  surroundings  of 
Silsby's  house  by  night.  It's  early  yet  and  I  have 
made  arrangements  with  the  local  livery  man  to 
supply  me  with  a  rig  at  any  time  I  may  want  it, 
either  day  or  night." 

Gates  stared  silently  at  him  for  a  moment.  "  I 
isay,  Sawyer,"  he  demanded  suspiciously,  "  have 
you  a  hunch  in  regard  to  this  affair?  " 

"  No,  not  a  hunch,  Gates,"  Quincy  replied,  "  for 
I  don't  act  on  hunches  except,  perhaps,  on  rare  oc- 
casions. At  this  particular  moment  I  am  labouring 
with  a  well-formed  and  carefully  considered  idea. 
Now  I  propose  that  we  proceed  to  the  Silsby  house 
without  any  further  loss  of  time." 

A  short  drive  brought  them  to  the  Silsby  house, 
and,  leaving  their  carriage  at  a  distance  from  the 
building,  they  proceeded  on  foot  to  the  front  en- 
trance. There  Gates,  at  Quincy's  suggestion,  seated 
himself  under  the  sheltering  shadow  of  a  tree,  while 
Quincy  undertook  the  work  of  reconnoitring  their 
surroundings.  The  house  was  in  total  darkness  and 
gave  every  indication  of  being  deserted,  although 
Quincy  was  loath  to  believe  that  such  was  really  the 
case.  He  circled  stealthily  about  the  house  and 
then  approached  it  from  one  side,  spending  several 
minutes  in  a  vain  endeavour  to  peer  through  one 
of  the  darkened  windows.  Not  a  sound  came  from 


172  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

within  or  without,  and  it  was  with  a  feeling  of  un- 
easiness that  he  finally  relinquished  his  tour  of  the 
premises  and  started  to  return  slowly  to  where  he 
had  left  Gates.  Before  he  had  reached  the  entrance 
to  the  small  yard,  however,  he  was  startled  by  the 
sound,  of  somebody  approaching  and  instantly  he 
flattened  himself  among  the  shadows. 

Hardly  had  he  done  so  before  a  man  appeared 
in  the  roadway,  coming,  apparently,  from  the  direc- 
tion along  which  he  and  Gates  had  recently  trav- 
elled. The  man  turned  in  at  the  gate  and  slowly 
approached  the  house,  Gates  following  stealthily 
behind  him  and  joining  Quincy  after  the  newcomer 
had  passed.  Silently  they  watched  the  man  walk 
directly  to  the  door  and  pause  while  he  produced  a 
key  and  gained  entrance  to  the  house.  Then,  al- 
most as  soon  as  he  had  entered,  a  light  appeared 
behind  one  of  the  shaded  windows  and  they  could 
dimly  hear  the  sound  of  subdued  voices. 

"  Do  you  know  him?  "  Gates  whispered. 

"  I  certainly  do,"  came  Quincy's  response.  "  It's 
Oscar  Silsby,  the  man  who's  supposed  to  be  lying 
helpless  at  Orcutt's.  Let's  get  nearer  to  that  win- 
dow, and  perhaps  we  may  be  able  to  catch  a  few 
words  of  their  conversation.  This  particular  de- 
velopment is  something  I  had  not  bargained  on, 
although  it  does  not  differ  greatly  from  what  I 
really  did  expect." 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  173 

Carefully  they  approached  the  house,  and  knelt 
below  the  window,  through  which  they  were  able  to 
catch  the  dull  hum  of  voices.  As  the  voices  rose 
a  trifle  and  the  tones  became  more  distinguishable 
Gates  started  violently. 

"  A  woman !  "  he  exclaimed. 

Quincy  merely  nodded  in  reply,  and  pressed  his 
ear  more  firmly  ,to  the  window  pane.  The  develop- 
ment was  by  no  means  unexpected  by  him,  al- 
though he  was  not  as  yet  certain  as  to  what  might 
be  the  result  of  the  discovery.  So  intent  the  pair 
became  in  striving  to  fathom  the  new  circumstance 
that  their  usual  vigilance  became  somewhat  relaxed, 
a  fact  which  brought  them  a  tremendous  surprise. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  a  quiet  voice  close  beside 
them,  "  you  seem  deeply  interested." 

Both  men  sprang  to  their  feet  and  whirled  toward 
the  speaker.  It  needed  but  a  single  look,  however, 
to  tell  them  that,  whatever  was  the  desire  of  the  new- 
comer, they  were  powerless  to  resist  it  at  the  mo- 
ment, for  the  muzzle  of  a  heavy  revolver  pointed 
unwaveringly  in  their  direction. 

The  man  with  the  revolver  surveyed  them  care- 
fully from  head  to  foot  before  again  speaking. 
"  Now,  if  you  please,"  he  continued,  "  step  inside 
the  house.  You  may  be  able  to  better  satisfy  your 
curiosity  in  that  manner." 

Quincy  and  Gates,  having  no  option  in  the  mat- 


174  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

ter,  silently  complied  with  the  imperative  request 
and,  passing  through  the  door,  found  themselves 
in  a  small  living-room.  The  room  was  furnished 
in  an  unusually  comfortable  manner  and  gave  evi- 
dences of  a  refinement  which  Quincy  had  not  ex- 
pected. What  immediately  arrested  his  attention, 
however,  was  the  presence  of  ,a  pleasant-faced 
young  woman  who  sat  smiling  at  the  men  from  the 
depths  of  a  large  arm  chair.  Her  identity  Quincy 
surmised,  but  her  appearance  seemed  hardly  to  tally 
with  that  of  the  man  holding  the  revolver.  Before 
he  was  able  to  pursue  the  query  to  its  full  extent 
he  once  more  was  arrested  by  the  voice  of  the  man. 

"  Are  you  gentlemen  both  detectives,  or  is  Mr. 
Sawyer  the  only  one?"  he  questioned. 

With  an  effort  Quincy  subdued  his  start  of  sur- 
prise as  he  replied.  "  We  are  both  detectives.  I 
suppose,  since  you  are  so  well  informed,  that  it  is 
unnecessary  to  mention  the  purpose  of  our  visit." 

"  It  is,"  the  man  replied,  smiling,  while  the  young 
woman  laughed  aloud  with  a  spontaneity  that 
brought  smiles  to  the  lips  of  the  detectives  also. 

"  Then,"  said  Quincy,  facing  squarely  toward 
the  man  for  the  first  time,  "  I  suppose  — "  He 
paused  abruptly,  and  stared  at  the  man  before  him. 
"  Ah,"  he  continued.  "  I  see  that  I  made  a  mistake 
in  the  darkness  outside.  You  are  Benjamin  Silsby, 
and  not  Oscar,  as  I  first  thought."  The  man 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  175 

nodded  and  Quincy  continued.  "  This  is  your 
wife?" 

"  Yes,  we  were  married  on  the  evening  preceding 
the  time  set  for  Oscar's  wedding.  So,  you  see,  that 
disposes  of  the  motive  I  am  supposed  to  'have  pos- 
sessed for  desiring  Oscar's  death."  He  watched 
Quincy  narrowly  for  a  brief  interval  before  again 
speaking.  "  I  should  have  looked  you  up  tomor- 
row, Mr.  Sawyer,  had  you  not  been  so  kind  as  to 
pay  me  this  visit,  because  I  have  one  or  two  details 
to  add  to  the  story  you  are  working  out. 

"  You  see,  in  this  vicinity  Oscar  and  I  are  sup- 
posed to  be  bitter  enemies,  our  hatred  of  each  other 
being  laid  to  that  clause  in  my  father's  will  which 
gave  this  house  to  the  first  of  us  who  married.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  we  are  and  always  have  been  the 
best  of  friends,  and  our  supposed  enmity  of  the 
present  time  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  hoax. 
You  know,  of  course,  of  the  death  of  Bob  Harrison 
just  previous  to  the  time  set  for  his  wedding  with 
Eleanor  Orcutt,  so  it  will  be  unnecessary  for  me  to 
go  into  details  in  that  direction. 

"  When  Oscar  became  engaged  to  her,  however, 
I  was  seized  with  an  overpowering  fear  for  his 
safety.  He  was  inclined  to  laugh  at  me  at  first, 
and  said  that,  because  Bob  Harrison  had  met  his 
death  in  that  tragic  manner,  it  was  no  sign  that  he 
would  repeat  the  tragedy.  But,  in  spite  of  his  argu- 


176  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

ments,  I  was  possessed  of  a  deep-seated  conviction 
that  Harrison's  death  was  the  result  of  no  mere  co- 
incidence, and  that  the  same  power  which  had  killed 
him  would  soon  be  turned  on  Oscar.  I  finally 
brought  him  to  a  point  where  he  would  consider  the 
matter  more  gravely  and  the  result  was  that  we 
patched  up  this  fake  quarrel. 

"  My  idea  was  that  if  we  became  apparently  bit- 
ter enemies  there  might  be  a  chance  of  his  would-be 
murderer  dropping  a  hint  in  my  hearng.  When- 
ever we  were  in  public  after  that,  or  when  there 
was  anybody  within  hearing,  we  would  glare  and 
snarl  at  eadh  other  as  though  but  the  slightest  oc- 
currence would  be  necessary  to  precipitate  an  actual 
combat  between  us.  But  at  home  our  lives  pro- 
ceeded as  quietly  as  ever,  and  we  were  constantly 
making  plans  for  the  apprehension  of  Oscar's  pos- 
sible assailant.  As  time  went  on,  though,  I  believe 
Oscar  became  careless,  his  mind  being  filled  with 
the  details  of  his  wedding,  and  at  the  very  last  he 
did  not  seem  to  give  even  a  thought  to  the  possi- 
bility of  danger. 

"  We  'had  arranged  that  I  was  to  be  married  on 
the  evening  preceding  his  own  wedding,  so  that  the 
farm  would  come  to  me,  and  I  had  already  pur- 
chased his  half  interest  in  it  so  that  the  arrange- 
ment would  be  entirely  fair.  Consequently  I  was 
away  at  the  time  he  was  assaulted,  and  did  not  learn 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  177 

of  'his  attempted  murder  until  after  he  had  been 
found.  I  then  hurried  back  here  and  set  about 
searching  for  the  assailant,  but  my  search  up  to  the 
present  has  been  unavailing.  I  learned  that  Cap- 
tain Orcutt  had  a  stranger  visiting  him,  and  I  made 
up  my  mind  that  the  man  must  be  a  detective,  and 
also  that  I  would  interview  him  at  the  first  oppor- 
tunity and  offer  him  whatever  assistance  I  might 
give.  That  completes  the  story  of  my  connection 
with  the  affair,  and  Oscar  will  readily  verify  all 
that  I  have  told  you. 

"  I  have,  however,  one  detail  of  the  affair  which 
I  would  like  to  give  you,  and  on  which  I  should 
like  your  opinion.  Captain  Orcutt,  I  know,  is  of 
the  opinion  ,that  Oscar's  body  was  conveyed  to  the 
island  over  the  stepping  stones,  because  the  captain 
persists  in  holding  to  the  belief  of  the  older  resi- 
dents of  this  place  that  the  island  is  absolutely  un- 
reachable  from  the  landward  side  except  by  means 
of  those  stones.  That  idea  is  true  so  far  as  a  sail- 
ing boat  or  a  dory  is  concerned,  but  I  cannot  un- 
derstand why  they  should  so  persistently  overlook 
the  fact  that  it  might  be  easily  reached  by  a  motor 
boat,  and  I  am  positive  that  Oscar's  body  was  con- 
veyed in  that  manner.  I  draw  that  conclusion  be- 
cause on  the  back  of  his  coat  I  found  a  large  grease 
stain." 

As  he  paused  to  allow  the  significance  of  his  state- 


178  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

ment  to  be  grasped  Quincy  interjected  a  ques- 
tion. 

"  Could  not  the  stain  -have  been  formed  by  axle 
grease  from  the  buggy  ?  " 

"  No,  I  do  not  think  so/'  Silsby  replied  at  once, 
"  Axle  grease  leaves  not  only  a  stain,  but  also  a 
thin  coating  of  the  grease,  while  this  mark  was 
merely  an  oily  stain.  Furthermore,  had  it  been 
axle  grease,  there  would  have  been  only  a  small 
mark  to  show  the  point  where  he  had  struck  against 
the  buggy  when  falling,  probably  on  the  side  or 
front  of  his  coat.  This  stain  was  as  large  around 
as  a  saucer,  was  in  .the  middle  of  his  back  and  gave 
every  indication  of  having  been  formed  by  Oscar's 
lying  in  a  small  pool  of  oil  which  had  gathered  in 
the  bottom  of  a  boat.  No  boat  would  need  oil  ex- 
cept a  motor  boat,  or  at  least  no  boat  that  would 
have  been  employed  for  the  purpose  of  taking  him 
across  to  the  island." 

"  You  argue  your  case  like  a  veteran,"  Quincy 
complimented.  "  Now  have  you  any  suspicion  as 
to  who  the  criminal  may  have  been  ?  " 

Silsby  shook  his  head.  "  None  in  the  least.  I 
think  that  I  have  successfully  accounted  for  every 
motor  boat  in  this  vicinity  on  the  night  in  question,' 
but  there  is,  of  course,  nothing  to  have  prevented  a 
boat  from  some  other  portion  of  the  coast  running 
dn  for  the  purpose  on  that  night.  I  have  searched 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  179 

day  and  night  since  that  time,  and  have  been  unable 
to  find  even  the  slightest  clue  on  the  outside.  Lieu- 
tenant Denham  is  helping  me  by  keeping  watch  at 
the  house,  although  I  have  had  no  words  with  him, 
and  he  is  even  of  the  opinion  that  the  quarrel  be- 
tween Oscar  and  myself  was  real.  I  am  now 
anxious  to  have  the  whole  affair  placed  in  your 
hands  and,  if  I  can  assist  in  any  way,  you  have  but 
to  call  on  me." 

Quincy  leaned  thoughtfully  against  the  door  post 
and  appeared  to  be  mentally  dissecting  Benjamin 
before  venturing  a  reply.  At  length  he  straight- 
ened up  with  a  quick  jerk  of  his  shoulders  and 
faced  half  about.  "  I  do  not  see  how  we  can  accom- 
plish anything  further  tonight,"  he  said.  "  To- 
morrow we  shall  be  able  to  make  a  careful  ex- 
amination of  such  few  clues  as  have  been  left,  and 
it  is  possible  that  we  may  shortly  be  able  to 
fasten  the  crime  on  the  guilty  person.  Tomor- 
row, also,  we  shall  call  on  you  for  assistance,  Mr. 
Silsby." 

"  Such  assistance  as  I  can  give  will  be  entirely 
at  your  service,"  Benjamin  replied  simply,  as  Quincy 
and  Gates  took  their  departure. 

Hardly  had  they  stepped  from  the  door  to  the 
path,  however,  before  Gates  turned  on  Quincy. 

"  Sawyer,  you've  already  settled  on  the  man 
who  killed  Harrison  and  tried  the  trick  on  Silsby," 


180  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  .DETECTIVE 

he  said  reproachfully.  "  Why  don't  you  take  me 
in  on  it  ?  " 

Quincy  chuckled,  but  made  no  immediate  reply, 
and  in  the  half  light  thrown  by  the  moon  Gates  was 
unable  to  see  his  face.  "  Are  you  certain  that  your 
observation  is  not  at  fault,  Gates  ?  "  Quincy  replied 
finally.  "  Your  -deduction  may  lead  merely  to  an- 
other bottle  of  whisky." 

Gates  snorted  disgustedly.  "  Don't  rub  it  in, 
Sawyer,"  he  protested.  "  I  don't  make  every  mis- 
take that  occurs  when  we're  working  a  case  together. 
But,  look  here,  I  haven't  worked  with  you  on  numer- 
ous cases  without  being  able  to  read  by  your  expres- 
sion when  you  have  settled  the  matter  in  your  own 
mind.  Loosen  up  now  and  —  Great  Jehoshaphat !  " 

The  exclamation  was  caused  by  the  sudden  sharp 
crack  of  a  pistol.  Simultaneously  Gates'  hat  leaped 
from  his  head  and  Gates  himself  dropped  to  earth 
and  scuttled  for  the  shelter  of  the  nearest  stone 
wall  like  a  startled  chipmunk.  Quincy  made  the 
wall  with  two  bounds  and,  by  the  time  Gates  ar- 
rived, was  already  crouching  with  drawn  revolver 
while  he  awaited  some  sound  that  would  give  him 
the  direction  of  their  enemy's  position.  The  sound 
came  in  the  shape  of  a  fusilade  of  pistol  shots,  all 
so  accurate  as  to  make  the  position  taken  up  by  the 
two  men  decidedly  uncomfortable.  As  soon  as  the 
hail  of  bullets  died  away,  however,  both  men  re- 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  181 

plied  in  kind  as  rapidly  as  they  could  work  their 
revolvers,  but  with  little  hope  of  doing  damage  as 
the  attacker  was  in  the  shadow  and  they  were  con- 
sequently forced  to  shoot  blindly. 

"  Is  it  one  man  or  a  dozen  ?  "  Gates  whispered, 
as  he  paused  to  reload  his  revolver. 

"  One  man  with  an  automatic  pistol  I  should 
say,"  Quincy  replied.  "  And  this  piece  of  craziness 
forms  another  link  in  my  chain  of  evidence.  But, 
come !  We  must  drive  him  out  of  there  or  he  will 
keep  us  here  all  night." 

He  cautiously  raised  his  head  above  the  wall  and, 
meeting  with  no  opposition,  slipped  over  himself 
and  crept  into  the  shelter  of  a  clump  of  bushes. 
Gates  followed,  and  almost  immediately  the  man  in 
the  woods  again  opened  fire.  That  he  was  an  ex- 
cellent shot  they  needed  no  witnesses  to  prove,  for 
the  bullets  clipped  through  the  leaves  about  them 
in  a  most  uncomfortable  manner  and  it  was  only 
by  lying  flat  on  the  earth  that  they  escaped  unhurt. 

When  a  temporary  cessation  of  the  firing  seemed 
to  indicate  that  the  man's  magazine  had  again  be- 
come exhausted,  the  two  slipped  forward  a  few 
more  feet  and  gained  shelter  in  the  edge  of  the 
woods.  They  were  now  in  hostile  territory,  in- 
deed, and  fully  realized  that  extreme  caution  must 
be  exercised  to  prevent  them  from  stumbling  on 
their  enemy  in  the  darkness,  with  results  probably 


182    QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

disastrous  to  themselves.  With  an  almost  agonizing 
caution  lest  a  breaking  twig  betray  them,  they 
crept  among  the  trees.  Every  dark  shadow  held 
a  hidden  threat  and,  for  aught  they  knew,  from 
behind  any  tree  in  their  vicinity  there  might  sud- 
denly break  a  rain  of  steel-jacketed  bullets. 

Suddenly,  from  a  bit  to  one  side  of  their  posi- 
tion, there  sounded  a  faint  rustling  among  the 
leaves  and  with  one  accord  the  pair  cuddled  tight 
against  the  earth  and  stared  vainly  into  the  dark- 
ness with  eyes  straining  and  hands  tensely  clutch- 
ing their  revolvers.  Again  came  the  rustling  and, 
joined  with  it,  there  sounded  a  single  shot,  a  shot 
that  appeared  to  have  been  fired  at  random  in  the 
hope  of  discovering  their  position.  Gates  raised 
his  revolver  to  reply,  but  Quincy  sharply  drew  it 
back  and  clung  tenaciously  to  the  hand  to  prevent 
a  recurrence  of  the  movement. 

Silence  reigned  for  several  minutes,  but  at  last 
there  came  another  sound  of  rustling,  this  time  in 
a  direction  still  different.  Both  men  turned  their 
faces  toward  the  sound,  and  silently  awaited  de- 
velopments. The  rustling,  soft  and  cautious,  con- 
tinued, seeming  to  work  constantly  nearer  and 
nearer  to  the  road.  At  last  came  a  momentary 
pause  and  then,  slowly  and  gradually,  the  outline 
of  a  man  formed  against  the  open  sky  indicating  the 
roadway. 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  183 

At  the  sight  Gates  shook  his  hand  gently  free 
from  Quincy's  grasp,  and  bent  forward  to  stalk  the 
strange  assailant.  Now  that  he  had  the  drop  on 
the  man  Gates  had  no  doubt  of  his  ability  to  secure 
his  prisoner,  either  dead  or  alive.  But  he  was 
doomed  to  disappointment.  Before  he  had  taken 
two  stealthy  steps  forward  the  air  was  rent  by  two 
reverberating  crashes,  joined  so  closely  as  to  be 
almost  a  single  report. 

"  It's  Silsby,"  Quincy  muttered  aside  to  Gates, 
"  and  he  has  .a  shotgun.  Let's  rush  the  place,  and 
see  what  the  result  has  been." 

As  with  a  single  impulse,  they  were  over  the 
wall  and  tearing  in  the  direction  from  which  the 
shots  had  come,  their  revolvers  ready  for  instant 
use  and  their  eyes  straining  forward  for  the  faint- 
est sign  of  danger.  Nothing  appeared,  however, 
and,  not  until  they  ran  headlong  into  Silsby,  who 
was  charging  from  another  direction,  did  they  real- 
ize that  their  bird  had  flown. 

"  He  kind  of  got  you  fellows  with  your  eyes 
shut,  didn't  he?"  Silsby  grinned.  "When  I  first 
heard  him  shoot  I  had  an  idea  as  to  what  must 
have  happened.  Pretty  work,  isn't  it,  for  a  civilized 
country  community  like  this?" 

"  Did  you  see  him?  "  Quincy  questioned. 

"  No,  he  heard  me  coming  and  I  had  to  shoot  be- 
fore I  could  get  near  enough  to  see  him.  I  gave 


184  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

him  something  to  remember  me  by,  though,  unless 
he  escaped  by  a  miracle.  I  didn't  have  anything 
bigger  than  number  eight  shot,  but  a  quantity  of 
number  eight  spread  around  through  a  man's  per- 
son will  give  him  a  heap  to  think  about." 

To  the  surprise  of  his  companions  Quincy  seemed 
suddenly  infused  with  a  tense  seriousness  that  bor- 
dered almost  on  alarm.  "  Gates,"  he  ejaculated 
sharply,  "  the  quicker  we  get  back  to  Orcutt's  the 
better  it  will  be  all  around.  Come  quick.  If  that 
man  steals  our  horse  I  am  afraid  of  the  results. 
Don't  stop  to  ask  questions.  Come."  And  with- 
out further  words  he  set  off  on  a  run,  the  astonished 
Gates  stumbling  along  at  his  heels. 

The  horse  was  where  they  had  left  it  and,  leap- 
ing into  the  buggy,  Quincy  applied  the  whip  with 
a  vigour  that  startled  the  aged  animal  into  what 
was  for  him  a  tremendous  burst  of  speed.  Gates 
was  unable  to  comprehend  the  sudden  turn  of 
events,  but  he  well  knew  that  it  would  be  useless  to 
ask  questions  at  the  present  time,  so  he  merely  sat 
tight  and  awaited  developments.  They  came  with 
a  vengeance. 

Dashing  into  the  Orcutt's  yard  at  full  speed, 
Quincy  reined  the  horse  almost  back  on  his  haunches 
and,  not  pausing  to  tether  him,  rushed  into  the 
house,  Gates  still  hanging  close  to  his  heels.  The 
commotion  stirred  up  by  their  entrance  aroused 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  185 

Captain  Orcutt  and,  as  they  rushed  through  the 
dining-room,  Gates  could  hear  his  gruff  voice 
shouting  a  challenge  from  above.  Quincy  did  not 
pause,  however,  but  ran  straight  to  the  room  where 
Silsby  was  sleeping,  switched  an  electric  flashlight 
on  tlie  bed  and  stared  eagerly  at  the  silent  form. 

To  his  evident  relief  the  man's  breast  rose  and 
fell  with  the  regularity  of  healthy  sleep,  and  im- 
mediately the  flashlight  whipped  along  the  bed, 
carefully  avoiding  Silsby's  face,  but  lighting  up 
with  deliberate  care  the  breast  and  arms. 

"I  smell  it,  Gates,  but  where  the  deuce  is  it?" 
Quincy  spoke  in  a  voice  rendered  hoarse  by  sus- 
pense. "  Ah !  "  The  light  came  to  a  pause  at  a 
point  on  the  pillow  almost  under  Silsby's  head, 
where  a  peculiar  little  object  seemed  fastened  to 
the  pillow  slip.  Watching  closely,  Gates  saw 
Quincy's  hand  creeping  slowly  across  the  pillow 
with  a  steadiness  and  care  that  betokened  the  need 
of  the  utmost  caution.  For  an  instant  the  hand 
seemed  to  pause  above  the  object,  and  then  slowly 
and  carefully  it  passed  on  until  it  came  to  a  stop 
immediately  beneath  and  almost  touching  Silsby's 
head.  Gates  saw  the  cords  in  the  wrist  draw  taut, 
the  fingers  stiffen  for  action  and  then,  with  a  sharp 
jerk,  the  hand  flashed  up,  throwing  Silsby's  head 
clear  of  the  pillow  and  dropping  it  fully  three  feet 
away  from  the  strange  little  object.  Gates  heard 


186  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

Silsby's  snoft  of  startled  awakening,  heard  the  bed 
creak  as  Quinoy  leaped  on  the  man,  and  held  him 
prostrate,  and  then  heard  Quincy's  voice,  still  tense 
with  excitement,  whisper : 

"  Go  outside  quick,  Gates,  and  see  if  there  are 
bicycle  tracks  in  the  roadway.  Look  carefully,  and, 
above  all,  hurry !  " 

Gates  vanished  and  almost  at  the  same  instant 
a  wavering  stream  of  light  appeared  in  the  door- 
way, growing  ever  stronger  as  it  approached,  until 
the  room  was  fully  lighted  by  the  entrance  of  Cap- 
tain Orcutt  bearing  a  streaming  and  smoking  lamp. 
At  sight  of  Quincy,  calmly  seated  astride  Silsby's 
back,  the  captain  paused  with  open  mouth  as  though 
inclined  to  doubt  the  evidence  of  his  own  eyes,  but, 
after  a  moment  of  hesitation,  he  set  the  lamp  on  a 
stand  and  circumspectly  approached  the  bed. 

"  Are  you  fully  awake,  Silsby?  "  Quincy  inquired 
quietly. 

"  I  should  be  after  all  this,"  came  the  reply,  some- 
what muffled  by  the  pillow  into  which  Silsby's  face 
was  pressed. 

"  Then  don't  move.  You've  had  a  mighty  nar- 
row escape  and  you  are  not  fully  out  of  danger  yet, 
unless  you  follow  my  directions." 

Quincy  slowly  raised  himself  from  his  position 
and  stepped  to  the  floor,  jerking  the  pillow  on  which 
the  curious  object  was  fixed  after  him. 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  187 

"  Now,  Silsby,"  he  said,  "  you  may  move  as  much 
as  you  please." 

Silsby  rolled  slowly  over  on  his  back,  and  stared 
amazedly  at  Quincy,  as  the  latter  carefully  shoved 
the  pillow  beneath  the  bed.  Hardly  had  he  done  so 
before  Mrs.  Orcutt  and  Eleanor  appeared  in  the 
doorway  behind  him,  both  in  a  state  of  dishabille 
rendered  excusable  on  account  of  the  sudden  alarm 
which  had  brought  them  to  the  spot.  Behind  them 
appeared  Gates  and,  looking  across  their  shoulders, 
Quincy  caught  Gates'  silent  nod  in  answer  to  the 
questioning  look  in  his  eyes.  The  nod  appeared  to 
satisfy  him,  for  he  turned  at  once  toward  the  cap- 
tain. 

"Where  is  Lieutenant  Denham?"  he  demanded. 

"  Right  here,"  came  the  immediate  response,  as 
Denham  elbowed  his  way  into  the  room.  "  What 
has  happened  ?  " 

"  What  has  happened  ?  "  Quincy  repeated  scorn- 
fully, looking  straight  at  Denham  and,  to  the  sur- 
prise of  Gates  at  least,  working  himself  up  to  a  high 
pitch  of  anger.  "  There  has  been  another  attempt 
made  on  Oscar  Silsby's  life,  and  it  is  through  no 
thanks  to  you  that  the  attempt  has  failed.  What 
were  you  doing  up-stairs  when  you  were  supposed 
to  be  watching  this  man  and  guarding  against  such 
attempts  ?  " 

Denham's  eyes  flashed  with  savage  fury  at  the 


188  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

condemnation.  "  Who  are  you  that  you  question 
me  in  this  manner?"  he  demanded.  "How  was 
I  to  suppose  that  an  attempt  would  be  made  inside 
this  very  house?  I  thought  things  had  quieted 
down  so  that  it  was  safe  to  leave  Oscar,  and,  the 
Lord  knows,  I  needed  rest  after  the  events  of  the 
last  week." 

"  Bah,"  Quincy  replied  in  heated  tones.  "  No 
man  has  a  right  to  suppose  anything  in  a  case  of 
this  nature.  He  should  be  always  on  the  watch." 
As  he  concluded  he  pushed  Denham  roughly  aside, 
as  though  in  complete  disgust  at  the  man's  ineffi- 
ciency. Then,  to  the  surprise  of  everybody,  he 
stepped  coolly  back  and  stood  surveying  Denham 
with  a  quiet  smile. 

"  I  thought  so,  Lieutenant  Denham,"  he  said 
slowly  and  significantly.  "  I  expected  that  you 
would  cringe  if  a  sudden  pressure  should  be  ap- 
plied to  your  body.  Benjamin  Silsby's  number 
eights  did  their  work,  I  see.  Watch  out,  Gates !  " 

His  shout  of  warning  came  too  late  for,  before 
Gates  had  time  in  which  to  act,  Denham  stood  with 
his  back  to  the  wall,  a  gleaming  automatic  pistol  in 
his  hand.  This  pistol  wavered  here  and  there  in 
threatening  gestures,  and  the  eyes  behind  it  told 
plainly  that  the  first  move  on  the  part  of  any 
person  present  meant  sudden  death.  The  lieuten- 
ant's eyes  seemed  to  scintillate  with  a  strange. 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  189 

light,    and    he    gave    vent    to    a    wild,    mocking 
laugh. 

"  So  you  butted  in,"  he  exclaimed  in  the  high, 
wild  voice  of  a  madman.  "  Aren't  you  sorry  ?  I 
would  have  let  you  live  if  you  had  kept  out,  but 
now  I  am  going  to  kill  you.  I  am  going  to  kill  you 
all  and,  while  the  house  burns  over  your  bodies,  I 
shall  sit  outside  and  revel  in  the  sight." 

The  words  were  followed  by  another  mocking 
laugh  that  fairly  froze  the  blood  of  his  listeners, 
and  Quincy,  on  whom  the  lieutenant's  fury  seemed 
to  centre,  cursed  himself  fervently.  It  was  his  own 
fault  that  this  had  happened,  he  told  himself.  Why, 
fool  that  he  was,  had  he  not  given  Gates  warning, 
or  why  had  he,  himself,  stepped  back  out  of  reach 
before  making  his  accusation?  Their  only  chance 
of  life  seemed  to  be  in  a  quick  leap  on  his  part 
toward  the  madman.  Perhaps  he  should  be  success- 
ful and  perhaps  he  should  not,  but  it  formed  the 
only  possibility.  But,  even  as  he  gathered  his 
muscles  for  the  spring,  help  came  from  an  unex- 
pected source. 

Mrs.  Orcutt,  who  had  been  listening  motionlessly 
from  a  little  to  one  side  of  the  lieutenant,  suddenly 
launched  her  muscular  frame  at  him,  flung  his  pis- 
tol hand  into  the  air,  and  wrapped  her  powerful 
arms  about  him.  The  lieutenant  struggled  fiercely 
and  yelled  mad  curses  at  her  for  a  second,  but,  al- 


190  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

most  before  he  was  able  to  realize  what  had  hap- 
pened, he  was  thrown  to  the  floor  by  the  sudden 
rush  of  Quincy  and  Gates  from  opposite  directions. 
His  pistol  was  whipped  from  his  hand  and  the  in- 
spector's arms  were  about  him  before  he  was  able 
to  gather  himself  for  resistance. 

"  God,  Sawyer ! "  Gates  growled  hoarsely,  as  he 
regained  his  feet,  dragging  the  lieutenant  after 
him,  "  that  was  the  worst  break  I  ever  knew  you 
to  make." 

"  I  admit  it,  Gates,"  Quincy  muttered  contritely. 
"  He  was  quicker  than  I  gave  him  credit  for  being. 
But  he  is  our  man,  anyhow,  and  the  dangers  sur- 
rounding this  household  are  over  with  his  capture. 
Look  out !  " 

As  on  the  first  occasion,  his  warning  came  too 
late  and,  even  though  Q-uincy  leaped  toward  Den- 
ham  at  the  very  moment  of  his  shout,  he  was  not 
quick  enough  to  be  of  assistance.  With  a  sudden 
sharp  twist  and  a  jerk,  rendered  irresistible  by  rea- 
son of  the  exaggerated  strength  of  a  madman,  Den- 
ham  had  squirmed  out  of  Gates'  grasp  and,  striking 
right  and  left,  made  the  door,  through  which  he 
disappeared  with  the  speed  of  a  frightened  rabbit. 
Neither  Quincy  nor  Gates  paused  for  words,  but 
with  one  accord  leaped  after  him,  plunging  through 
the  door  and  out  through  the  remainder  of  the 
house  until  they  stood  again  in  the  open  air.  In 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  191 

the  middle  distance  they  could  see  Denham  running 
with  long,  powerful  strides  toward  the  carriage 
shed,  into  which  he  disappeared. 

"  He's  after  his  bicycle,"  Gates  yelled,  as  the 
pair  tore  along  after  him.  "If  he  gets  it  we  may 
as  well  bid  him  good-bye  for  the  present." 

Denham  indeed  succeeded  in  securing  hrs  bicycle, 
but  Quincy  and  Gates,  approaching  on  either  side 
of  the  road,  felt  certain  that  he  would  never  be 
able  to  get  past  them  without  one  or  the  other  being 
able  to  drag  him  to  earth.  To  their  complete  sur- 
prise, however,  Denham  made  no  attempt  to  turn 
in  their  direction,  but  instead,  swinging  directly 
out  of  the  road,  struck  off  across  the  fields,  pedalling 
with  all  his  might,  and  at  regular  intervals  giv- 
ing vent  to  one  of  his  fearful  blood-curdling 
yells. 

Quincy  and  Gates,  astonished  though  they  were 
by  this  strange  maneuvre,  did  not  hesitate  an  in- 
stant, but  struck  off  across  the  fields  in  pursuit, 
feeling  certain  that  it  was  now  merely  a  matter  of 
a  short  time  before  they  would  be  able  to  apprehend 
their  man.  On  and  on  the  rider  went,  avoiding 
rocks  and  hidden  hollows  by  what  seemed  miracles, 
and  after  him  ran  the  panting  detectives. 

"  He's  headed  for  the  cliffs,"  Quincy  shouted 
after  a  time.  "  He'll  get  himself  in  a  pocket  soon 
and  we  can  get  him  there." 


192  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

Across  the  broad  field,  and  well  into  the  broken 
land  at  the  landward  end  of  the  cliffs,  the  chase 
continued,  the  two  pursuers  now  gaining  with  every 
stride  as  the  rough  going  retarded  the  progress  of 
Denham.  But,  by  what  seemed  almost  superhuman 
means,  Denham  succeeded  in  crossing  the  broken 
ground  and  at  last  reached  the  smooth  cliff  tops. 
There,  instead  of  slacking  speed  and  gradually 
coming  to  a  stop  as  they  had  expected,  he  bent 
lower  over  his  handle  bars  and  increased  his 
efforts. 

The  bicycle,  even  though  one  tire  had  been  punc- 
tured by  the  trip  across  the  rough  field,  quickly 
responded  to  the  increased  exertions  of  the  rider, 
and  picked  up  speed  across  the  smooth  rocks  to  an 
astonishing  degree.  In  a  space  of  time  covering 
but  a  few  seconds  at  the  most  Denham  reached  the 
outer  limits  of  the  cliffs  and  the  pursuers  breathed 
easier  as  they  ran  forward,  expecting  momentarily 
to  see  him  dismount  and  turn  at  bay.  But  in  that 
expectation  they  were  disappointed. 

Instead  of  slacking  speed  as  the  water  loomed 
before  him,  Denham  redoubled  his  efforts  and  at 
last,  on  the  very  edge  of  the  rocks,  rose  erect  in  his 
saddle,  gave  vent  to  a  single  wild  yell  of  defiance, 
and  coasted  over  the  edge  to  the  certain  death 
which  awaited  him  below.  Plainly  revealed,  he 
stood  against  the  sky  line  for  an  instant  and  then, 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  193 

as  if  snatched  away  by  some  unseen  hand,  he  dis- 
appeared, just  as  Quincy  and  Gates  tore  across  the 
slippery  rocks  to  the  point  where  he  had  last  been 
seen. 

"  God !  "  Gates  muttered,  pausing  in  awed  horror 
at  the  edge  of  the  rocks,  and  gazing  into  the  tum- 
bling breakers  below.  "  He's  gone  now,  sure 
enough." 

Quincy  nodded  assent.  "  Yes,  he's  gone,"  he 
said  quietly.  "  And,  everything  considered,  I  think 
it  is  as  well  that  he  is." 

There  was  no  use  in  searching  for  the  body,  for 
they  well  knew  that  the  swift  current  would  bear 
it  away  until  such  a  time  as  it  might  be  washed 
ashore,  as  had  the  body  of  young  Harrison  two 
years  before.  Silently  they  turned  about  and  made 
their  way  slowly  back  to  the  house.  As  they  en- 
tered alone  the  eyes  of  all  were  turned  questioningly 
on  them,  and  Quincy 's  grave  nod  was  readily  in- 
terpreted. 

"Is  he  gone?"  Captain  Orcutt  questioned  sol- 
emnly. 

"  He's  gone,"  Quincy  repeated,  and  then  added : 
"  Over  the  cliffs." 

"  Too  bad,"  the  captain  muttered  with  a  slow 
shake  of  his  head.  "  He  was  a  fine  man  once." 

"But  how  did  you  settle  on  him?"  Silsby  de- 
manded, from  where  he  lay  propped  on  one  elbow. 


194  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  I  suppose  you  men  are  detectives,  but  how  did 
you  work  the  case  out  in  so  short  a  time?  " 

"  As  for  that,"  Quincy  replied  quietly,  "  I  had 
already  determined  before  coming  here  that  the 
deeds  described  must  have  been  done  by  a  madman, 
and  Denham  was  the  only  person  present  who  gave 
any  indication  of  being  such.  When  I  first  took 
up  the  case  my  suspicions  we're  directed  strongly 
toward  Benjamin  Silsby,  but  the  events  of  this 
night  promptly  turned  them  in  another  direction. 
All  the  evening  I  watched  Lieutenant  Denham,  but 
failed  to  detect  any  symptom  of  definite  insanity, 
although  his  manner  at  various  times  led  me  to 
believe  strongly  that  his  mind  was  not  thoroughly 
right.  Our  visit  to  Benjamin  Silsby,  and  the 
events  following  it,  firmly  settled  his  guilt  for  me, 
but  of  that  visit  I  shall  tell  you  later,  Captain.  Now 
let  me  trace  the  matter  up  from  my  own  starting 
point. 

"  In  the  first  place  I  was  obliged  to  proceed,  of 
course,  on  the  events  of  this  case  alone,  as  the  other 
occurred  so  long  ago  as  to  be  absolutely  useless  for 
reference  at  the  present  time.  There  was,  however, 
the  single  circumstance  of  Denham's  having  been 
present  on  each  occasion.  As  I  said  previously,  I 
had  determined  that  this  assault  on  Silsby  was  the 
work  of  a  madman,  because  no  sane  man  would 
have  placed  Silsby,  after  having,  I  feel  certain, 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  195 

taken  steps  which  led  him  to  believe  that  Silsby 
would  soon  die,  in  a  spot  where  his  discovery  was 
an  absolute  certainty. 

"  A  sane  man  would  either  have  made  certain 
that  Silsby  was  dead,  and  then  have  secreted  the 
body,  or,  if  doubt  existed,  he  would  have  stowed 
the  unconscious  form  of  his  victim  farther  toward 
the  interior  of  the  island,  knowing  full  well  that  in 
all  probability  the  man  would  die  before  he  could 
be  discovered.  Furthermore,  at  the  time  of  his 
assault,  Denham  used  a  very  virulent  and  almost 
unknown  poison  which,  the  chances  are,  would 
never  have  been  discovered  by  a  medical  examiner. 
A  sane  man,  probably,  would  have  merely  applied 
the  poison,  left  the  body  in  the  buggy  and  then 
have  allowed  the  horse  to  jog  along  to  its  destina- 
tion, where  the  chances  are  that  Silsby's  death  would 
have  been  attributed  to  natural  causes. 

"  All  this  is,  of  course,  merely  supposition,  for 
it  is  practically  impossible  to  determine  what  either 
a  sane  or  an  insane  man  will  do  under  given  cir- 
cumstances, but  the  probabilities  were  such,  how- 
ever, that  I  strongly  favoured  the  theory  of  in- 
sanity. Now  as  to  the  poison.  It  is  a  peculiar  In- 
dian poison  known  to  the  police  as  the  '  devil's 
necktie,'  because  it  is  always  applied  either  in  the 
neck  or  head.  It  is  practically  unknown,  but  was 
used  a  year  ago  in  the  Mansell  case,  and  Denham 


196  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

probably  secured  his  information  concerning  it 
from  the  careful  descriptions  written  by  the  press  at 
that  time.  There  is  one  thing  about  it,  however, 
which  renders  it  unsatisfactory  as  a  criminal  me- 
dium. If  applied  in  too  great  quantities  at  the  first 
injection,  it  acts  as  its  own  antidote  and,  after  a 
week  or  two,  the  effects  of  it  will  pass  off. 

"  When  I  arrived  I  could  not  believe  that  a  man 
of  Silsby's  physique  could  be  laid  up  so  long  simply 
as  the  result  of  assault  and  exposure.  Then,  when 
I  learned  of  his  long  period  of  unconsciousness,  I 
at  once  jumped  to  the  conclusion  that  this  strange 
poison  had  been  used.  I  did  not,  however,  expect 
that  a  repetition  of  the  attack  would  occur  so  shortly 
after  the  first  assault,  and  it  was  not  until  we  were 
attacked  at  Benjamin  Silsby's  that  I  grew  alarmed 
over  Oscar's  safety. 

"  I  suspected  that  it  was  Denham  who  fired  on  us, 
and  that  act  plainly  forged  another  link  in  the  chain 
of  circumstances  marking  him  as  insane.  I  rushed 
back  here  with  all  speed  and  discovered  that  his 
trap  had  been  well  laid.  Before  proceeding,  I  must 
state,  in  connection  with  the  poison,  that  its  second 
injection,  in  no  matter  what  quantity,  is  invariably 
fatal.  Here  is  the  arrangement  for  its  second  in- 
jection, and  you  will  readily  see  that  it  would  prob- 
ably escape  suspicion  even  had  it  been  successful, 
should  not  the  examiner  chance  to  notice  the  pres- 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  197 

ence  of  the  peculiar  odour  which  always  surrounds 
the  poison." 

As  he  finished  speaking,  he  stooped  and  drew 
from  under  the  bed  the  pillow  which  he  had 
snatched  from  Silsby's  side.  On  the  pillow  was 
caught  an  ordinary  green  burdock  burr. 

"  There  is  the  trap,"  Quincy  stated.  "  That  burr 
has  been  soaked  in  the  poison,  and  then  placed  on 
the  pillow.  Silsby  would  in  all  probability  have 
rolled  on  to  it  during  the  night,  the  burr  would 
have  caught  in  his  head  or  neck,  and  who  would 
have  paid  attention  to  so  trivial  a  matter  as  a  bur- 
dock burr  or  such  minor  wounds  as  it  might  have 
made  in  the  skin?  It  is  needless  for  me  to  call  to 
your  attention  the  fact  that  the  poison  in  this  case 
would  have  been  fatal. 

"  You  saw  Denham's  act  when  I  accused  him, 
and  you  no  doubt  noticed  the  involuntary  start  he 
gave  when  I  roughly  handled  one  or  more  of  the 
raw  wounds  which  Benjamin  Silsby's  shot  left  in 
his  body.  His  was  not  a  case  of  feigned  insanity, 
but  was  an  incontrovertible  fact.  Your  daughter's 
wedding,  Captain,  can  now,  I  think,  proceed  with- 
out further  interruptions  of  a  tragic  nature." 

"  But  I  don't  understand,"  the  captain  stam- 
mered. "  Why  should  Denham,  even  if  he  was 
insane,  harbour  such  a  fearful  grudge  against  my- 
self or  any  member  of  my  family?" 


198  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

Quincy  replied  with  a  slight  shrug.  "  Who  can 
fathom  the  mental  processes  of  a  madman  ?  "  he 
questioned.  "  It  may  be  that  he  lost  his  reason  at 
the  time  the  young  woman  to  whom  he  was  engaged 
lost  her  life  on  your  ship.  It  may  be  that,  in  his 
twisted  reasoning,  he  held  you  responsible  for  her 
loss  and  determined  to  wreak  his  vengeance  on  your 
family  and  on  yourself  for  the  suffering  he  had 
been  caused.  It  may  be  that  he  insanely  desired 
your  daughter  himself,  as  a  recompense  for  his  own 
loss,  and,  in  his  warped  sense  of  justice,  took  the 
means  he  did  to  remove  other  suitors  from  his  path. 
Who  can  tell?  I  think,  Captain,"  he  concluded, 
"  that  the  skeleton  has  now  been  removed  from 
your  feast." 

"  But,  Sawyer,"  Gates  interrupted,  "  what  was 
there  about  that  bicycle?  I  saw  the  tracks,  but 
what  of  them?  " 

"  Oh,  I  had  forgotten,"  Quincy  replied.  "  I  saw 
a  bicycle  here  when  I  first  arrived,  and,  when  we 
were  fired  on,  I  surmised  that  Denham  had  ridden 
down  on  it.  I  wanted  you  to  look  for  the  tracks 
so  that  I  might  judge  whether  or  not  my  surmise 
was  correct." 

"  Yes,  but  one  more  question.  How  was  Silsby 
carried  to  the  island  ?  " 

"  Another  surmise,  Gates,  and  one  which  it  will 
not  be  necessary  now  to  substantiate.  In  that  par- 


UNREACHABLE  ISLAND  190 

ticular  direction  Benjamin  Silsby's  theory  is  doubt- 
less correct,  except  that  he  did  not  carry  it  far 
enough.  As  he  said,  Silsby  must  have  been  con- 
veyed to  the  island  in  a  motor  boat,  but  you  will 
remember  that  he  added  that  he  had  accounted  for 
every  boat  in  the  vicinity.  That  was  probably  true, 
except  that  he  accounted  for  them  so  far  as  the 
owners  knew.  A  man  as  familiar  with  the  neigh- 
bours as  was  Denham  undoubtedly  knew  which  of 
them  were  so  careless  as  to  leave  their  boats  in  such 
a  manner  that  they  might  be  run  out  by  anybody 
who  chose  to  do  so,  and  he  simply  borrowed  a  boat 
for  the  occasion.  Thus,  you  see,  he  had  his  tracks 
successfully  covered,  except  for  the  fatal  mistake 
of  leaving  his  victim  in  a  position  where  he  might 
be  discovered  from  the  shore.  That  led  to  the  dis- 
covery by  Benjamin  of  the  grease  stain  on  his  coat, 
and  the  consequent  abandonment  of  the  theory  that 
only  a  man  knowing  the  stepping  stones  to  the 
island  could  have  so  disposed  of  the  victim. 

"  There  now  remains  nothing,  Captain,  except 
the  recovery  of  Denham's  body,  and  with  that,  of 
course,  Inspector  Gates  and  I  have  no  part.  Our 
work  is  finished  and  there  remains  nothing  for  us 
save  to  return  to  the  city." 


IV 

THE   AFFAIR    OF   THE   TRIMOUNTAIN    BANK 

QUINCY  laid  aside  his  evening  paper  and  stared 
dismally  at  the  small  table  in  the  corner  of  his  den 
where  stood  his  telephone.  The  'phone  was  now 
silent  and  he  lingered  in  his  original  position,  a 
vague,  though  he  well  knew  groundless,  hope  in  his 
mind  that  its  ringing  would  not  be  renewed. 
Again  came  the  shrill  summons,  longer  and  more 
insistent  than  on  the  first  occasion,  and  with  a  re- 
signed groan  Quincy  dragged  himself  out  of  the 
great  leather  chair  which  had  belonged  to  his  grand- 
father before  him  and  reluctantly  crossed  the  room. 
He  paused  a  moment,  telephone  in  hand,  while  he 
listened  to  .the  rain  which  the  cold  east  wind  was 
driving  against  the  window.  Then,  with  an  in- 
voluntary shiver  at  the  thought  that  he  might  soon 
be  called  forth  into  the  unfriendly  weather,  he  un- 
hooked the  receiver. 

"Hello!"  A  note  of  increasing  irritation 
seemed  to  be  in  the  word.  "  That  you,  Sawyer? 
You've  been  long  enough  in  answering  my  ring." 

"  Oh,  hello,  Gates/'  replied  Quincy,  immediately 

200 


THE  TRIMOUNTAIN  BANK  201 

recognizing  the  voice  as  that  of  his  friend  of  police 
headquarters.  "  I  was  hoping  that  this  call  would 
prove  nothing  more  than  an  inquiry  or,  at  worst, 
an  invitation;  but  I  see  my  hopes  are  blasted. 
What's  the  trouble?" 

"  Nothing  that  need  disturb  your  home-loving 
instincts,"  came  the  sarcastic  reply.  "  The  Tri- 
mountain  Bank  has  been  robbed;  its  president, 
Gorham  Edgerly,  chloroformed;  and  a  few  minor 
occurrences  of  a  similar  nature  have  been  pulled 
off,  that's  all." 

Quincy  grinned  at  the  telephone.  "  Much 
obliged  for  the  trouble  you  have  taken  to  call  me 
up  and  tell  me  about  it,"  he  called.  "  Will  you 
allow  me  to  return  to  my  paper  now  ?  " 

"  Paper  nothing!  Edgerly  wants  you  to  come 
down  and  !help  out  on  the  case.  He  thinks  that  the 
larger  his  pack  of  hounds  the  more  likelihood  there 
is  of  their  bagging  the  game.  Get  down  as  quickly 
as  you  can,  please,  because  he  won't  talk  until  you 
are  here." 

"  Won't,  eh !  "  Quincy's  voice  betokened  surprise. 
"He's  the  first  robbed  and  assaulted  man  I  ever 
heard  of  who  wasn't  ready  to  tell  his  story  a  dozen 
times  to  everybody  within  reach." 

Twenty  minutes  later  Quincy  was  admitted  to 
the  president's  office  of  the  Trimountain  Bank.  As 
he  entered  he  cast  a  quick  glance  about  at  the 


202  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

men  already  assembled.  Inspector  Gates  he  rec- 
ognized with  a  friendly  nod,  and  then  turned  his 
attention  toward  the  others,  who  were,  he  judged, 
connected  with  the  bank.  The  man  with  the  weary, 
spent  face  who  was  seated  in  a  corner  he  decided 
must  be  Edgerly,  while  the  other,  from  his  uni- 
form, was  undoubtedly  the  night  watchman  of  the 
building. 

Before  asking  any  questions  or  allowing  any  op- 
portunity for  the  story,  he  bent  over  what  appeared 
to  be  the  main  exhibit  of  the  office,  a  heavy  arm- 
chair placed  squarely  in  the  middle  of  the  room 
and  about  which  hung  numerous  folds  of  strong 
rope.  Beside  the  chair  lay  a  crumpled  white  hand- 
kerchief which,  on  closer  examination,  gave  off  a 
pungent  odour,  instantly  recognized  as  that  of  chlo- 
roform. Those  articles  seemed  to  embody  the  en- 
tire plot  of  the  story  which  was  to  be  told  and 
Quincy  hardly  needed  to  glance  toward  the  open 
safe  in  the  corner  to  acquaint  himself  in  a  general 
way  with  all  the  facts  that  Gorham  Edgerly  might 
relate.  Stepping  back  from  the  chair,  he  gazed 
questioningly  at  Gates,  who,  in  turn,  nodded  toward 
Edgerly. 

"  Mr.  Edgerly,"  he  said,  "  we  are  now  ready  for 
your  story.  This  is  Mr.  Sawyer,  if  you  will  be 
satisfied  with  so  informal  an  introduction." 

At  the  words  the  bank  president  stirred  slowly  and 


THE  TRIMOUNTAIN  BANK  203 

seemed  to  arouse  himself  with  difficulty.  He  stared 
disinterestedly  at  the  inspector  and  then  turned  his 
gaze  in  Quincy's  direction,  seeming  to  arouse  his 
senses  by  degrees. 

"  Pardon  my  seeming  helplessness,  gentlemen," 
he  said,  speaking  with  an  evident  effort.  "  You 
will  understand  that  I  have  been  under  a  very  severe 
strain  during  the  last  few  hours,  and  I  have  not  as 
yet  fully  recovered  from  it." 

"Do  you  still  feel  the  effects  of  the  chloro- 
form ?  "  Quincy's  tone  was  solicitous. 

"  Yes,  yes,  to  some  extent."  Edgerly's  faculties 
seemed  to  be  returning  rapidly.  "  But  it  is  the 
strain,  more  than  the  chloroform,  which  is  causing 
me  the  trouble  at  present,  you  will  understand.  The 
long  wait  here,  during  which  time  I  was  unable  to 
attract  the  attention  of  anybody,  proved  a  severe 
shock  to  my  system." 

"  Of  course,  of  course,"  Gates  broke  in  impa- 
tiently. "  But  we  are  losing  valuable  time,  Mr.  Ed- 
gerly;  so  please  tell  us  your  story  as  quickly  and  as 
briefly  as  is  possible." 

Acceding  somewhat  ungraciously  to  the  peremp- 
tory request,  Edgerly  leaned  forward  in  his  chair 
and  commenced  his  narration,  first  glancing  at  the 
clock.  "  It  is  now  nine  o'clock,  gentlemen,  and  the 
robbery  occurred  at  about  four.  As  a  general  rule 
everybody  has  left  the  bank  by  three,  or  three- 


204  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

thirty,  but  I  was  delayed  beyond  my  regular  time 
today.  My  daughter  left  the  city  to  visit  friends  in 
Springfield  early  in  the  afternoon,  and  I  went  to  the 
station  to  see  her  aboard  the  train.  I  then  returned 
to  my  office  and,  as  my  trip  to  the  station  had  de- 
layed some  important  work,  I  determined  to  stay 
here  and  finish  it.  The  employees  had  all  left  by 
shortly  after  three,  and  I  was  the  only  person  in 
our  rooms,  as  the  watchmen  change  at  three  and, 
after  the  first  round  of  the  building,  the  night  man 
is  busy  in  the  basement  until  early  in  the  eve- 
ning. 

"  I  was  seated  in  that  big  chair,  looking  over  the 
papers  which  at  present  lie  there  on  my  desk,  and 
just  what  happened  I  am  not  certain.  My  impres- 
sion is  that  somebody  sneaked  up  behind  me  and 
applied  the  chloroform,  afterward  tying  me  in  my 
chair  and  making  away  with  the  money  which  is 
missing.  When  I  regained  consciousness,  I  found 
myself  tied  to  the  chair,  and,  twist  as  I  would,  I 
could  not  get  free.  I  shouted  myself  hoarse  in  an 
attempt  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  watchman, 
but  he  was  unable  to  hear  me,  and  it  was  not  until 
he  entered  the  room  at  eight  o'clock  that  he  dis- 
covered me  and  set  me  free.  My  first  act  then  was 
to  notify  the  police,  and  after  that  to  have  you,  Mr. 
Sawyer,  summoned,  as  I  wished  to  be  personally 
represented  in  the  hunt.  That,  I  believe,  is  the 


THE  TRIMOUNTAIN  BANK  205 

entire  story.  Now,  I  presume,  you  wish  to  question 
me." 

"  In  the  first  place,  Mr.  Edgerly,"  Quincy  in- 
quired, "  how  much  money  is  missing,  and  how 
did  it  chance  to  be  here  in  your  safe  instead  of  in 
the  vault?  " 

"  The  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  is  missing. 
It  was  in  my  safe  because  it  was  my  personal  prop- 
erty, negotiated  today  by  a  loan.  I  have  been 
robbed,  not  the  bank." 

"  Then  you  undoubtedly  have  an  idea  as  to  who 
may  have  taken  it,  for  I  presume  that  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  money  did  not  extend  far  beyond  your- 
self. And  in  this  same  connection  I  wish  to  ask 
whether  the  safe  door  was  open  or  closed  when  you 
last  remember  it." 

"  The  safe  door  is  never  open.  It  is  a  rule  which 
has  become  a  habit  with  me  to  always  close  it  im- 
mediately after  removing  whatever  I  wish  from 
the  safe.  As  to  my  having  suspicions  in  regard 
to  the  culprit,  I  must  reply  that  I  have  a  very  strong 
suspicion,  —  not  only  a  suspicion,  but  almost  a 
certainty.  The  knowledge  of  the  money  extended, 
beyond  myself,  to  nobody  but  my  secretary,  Herbert 
Jay,  who  is  also  the  bank's  paying  teller.  He  knew 
of  the  money  because  he  placed  it  in  my  safe  for 
me,  and,  furthermore,  he  is  the  only  person,  aside 
from  myself,  who  knows  the  combination  of  the 


206  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

safe.  Consequently  I  see  no  grounds  for  suspicions 
that  point  to  anybody  other  than  Mr.  Jay." 

"  When  did  you  last  see  Mr.  Jay  ? "  Quincy 
asked,  thoughtfully  tapping  the  arm  of  his  chair. 

"  Just  before  I  went  to  the  station  with  my 
daughter.  He  came  to  me  then  and  said  he  was 
obliged  to  leave  the  city  for  a  short  time,  and  asked 
permission  to  remain  away  during  a  portion  of  to- 
morrow forenoon.  I  granted  the  permission  and 
he  left  the  bank  at  once.  I  have  not  seen  him  since." 

"  In  order  for  a  man  to  have  committed  this  rob- 
bery after  the  manner  you  have  described,  would 
it  not  have  been  necessary  for  him  to  have  been 
secreted  in  the  building?  He  could  not  have  gained 
access  after  the  clerks  had  left,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  Of  course  he  could  not  have  entered  after  that 
time." 

Quincy  watched  the  banker  thoughtfully  for  a 
few  moments.  "  Then  am  I  to  understand,  Mr. 
Edgerly,"  he  said,  "  that  in  your  opinion  this  man, 
Jay,  left  the  bank  as  a  blind,  returned  after  you  had 
gone  to  the  station,  and  hid  himself  in  this  room, 
let  us  say  in  that  closet?  After  you  had  become 
busy  he  slipped  out  of  his  place  of  concealment, 
chloroformed  you,  bound  you  in  your  chair  and, 
after  looting  your  safe,  made  his  escape?  He 
would  have  had  no  trouble  in  leaving  the  build- 
ing?" 


THE  TRIMOUNTAIN  BANK  207 

"  No,  the  doors  are  equipped  with  double  spring 
locks,  which  are  easily  opened  from  the  in- 
side." 

"  Now  allow  me  to  seemingly  digress  a  trifle,  Mr. 
Edgerly.  Were  you  acquainted  with  Jay,  or  with 
any  of  his  habits,  outside  the  bank?" 

"  Yes,  he  has  frequently  been  to  my  house." 

Qnincy  permitted  a  momentary  expression  of 
surprise  to  flit  across  his  face  at  the  information. 
"Oh,  then  you  received  him  socially?  Of  course, 
then,  he  was  acquainted  with  your  daughter  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all !  "  Edgerly  appeared  to  snap  out 
the  words  with  more  vehemence  than  was  entirely 
called  for.  "  His  visits  to  my  house  were  of  a 
purely  business,  and  not  a  social,  nature.  We  were 
frequently  obliged  to  spend  entire  evenings  over 
various  phases  of  the  bank's  business.  He  was,  as 
you  say,  acquainted  with  my  daughter;  but  not  in 
the  manner  which  you  intimate.  My  daughter  has 
few  male  acquaintances,  as  she  is  engaged  to  marry 
Jabez  Rhodes,  the  capitalist." 

Once  more  Quincy  allowed  a  brief  expression 
of  surprise  to  appear  on  his  face.  "  But  is  not  Mr. 
Rhodes  a  bit  —  er  —  elderly  ?  I  was  not  aware  of 
his  engagement." 

"  His  age  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter," 
Edgerly  responded  stiffly.  "  He  has  the  wealth 
with  which  to  give  my  daughter  a  good  home,  and 


208  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

it  is  my  wish  that  she  should  marry  him.  She  has 
never  made  any  objection  to  doing  so." 

"  And  the  money  which  was  stolen  from  you  was 
a  loan  from  Mr.  Rhodes  ?  " 

"  It  was."  Edgerly's  manner  stiffened  still  more. 
"  It  was  borrowed  on  excellent  security.  I  hardly 
see,  however,  why  I  should  be  called  upon  to  answer 
these,  to  say  the  least,  rather  impertinent  questions 
regarding  my  family  and  private  affairs.'* 

Quincy  accepted  the  reprimand  with  a  slight  bow 
and  rose  to  depart.  "  Just  one  more  question,  Mr. 
Edgerly,"  he  remarked,  as  he  slipped  into  his  rain- 
coat. "  You  were  discovered  by  the  watchman  at 
eight  o'clock.  Was  that  the  first  time  he  had  been 
through  the  rooms  since  coming  on  duty?" 

"  Yes,  with  the  exception  of  the  preliminary 
round  at  three  o'clock." 

"  Might  I  look  at  his  rooms  in  the  basement  ?  " 

"Certainly.     He  will  show  them  to  you." 

At  a  sign  from  Edgerly  the  watchman  led  Quincy 
to  the  basement.  To  the  man's  intense  surprise, 
when  once  they  had  reached  the  spot,  Ouincy  in- 
sisted on  searching  its  floors  and  walls  with  almost 
microscopic  thoroughness.  For  perhaps  half  an 
hour  this  investigation  continued,  before  the  im- 
patient voice  of  Gates  shouted,  from  above,  a  sum- 
mons for  their  return.  On  re-entering  the  office 
Quincy's  eyes  rested  momentarily  on  those  of 


THE  TRIMOUNTAIN  BANK  209 

Gates,  and  the  latter  allowed  himself  the  faintest  of 
smiles  as  one  of  Quincy's  eyelids  drooped  ever  so 
slightly. 

As  they  stood  on  the  sidewalk  outside,  Quincy 
and  Gates  stared  sharply  at  one  another  for  several 
seconds,  the  latter  being  the  first  to  speak. 

"  I  guess  we  are  on  the  same  trail,  aren't  we, 
Sawyer?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  shouldn't  be  surprised  if  we  are,"  Quincy  re- 
plied. "  And  it  strikes  me  that  the  trail  leads  very 
close  to  Jay  at  the  present  time,  does  it  not?  " 

"  It  surely  does.  I'll  have  some  of  my  men 
locate  him  tonight,  and  I'll  'phone  you  the  result 
the  first  thing  in  the  morning.  The  chances  are 
that  we  won't  be  able  to  do  anything  before  then." 

"  That  is  agreeable  to  me,"  Quincy  approved. 
"  By  the  way,  Inspector,  were  you  ever  obliged  to 
undergo  a  surgical  operation  ?  " 

The  inspector's  eyes  widened  in  surprise  and  then, 
with  a  half  humourous  shrug,  he  allowed  his  glance 
to  run  hastily  over  his  own  robust  form.  "  I  had  a 
tooth  pulled  once,"  he  volunteered. 

"  That  is  an  operation  of  no  mean  proportions  at 
times,"  Quincy  affirmed,  "  but  it  will  hardly  help  in 
this  case.  I  have  been  operated  on  for  appendicitis, 
and,  if  you  had  ever  enjoyed  a  similar  experience, 
I  think  you  would  catch  the  drift  of  my  remark. 
But  never  mind.  I'll  explain  it  when  the  proper 


210  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

time  comes.  Now  suppose  we  go  home  out  of  the 
rain." 

The  following  morning,  in  response  to  a  tele- 
phone call,  Quincy  entered  Gates'  office,  to  discover 
the  inspector  seated  with  his  feet  resting  on  the 
window  ledge  and  a  scowl  of  deep  thought  on  his 
face. 

"  Well,  Gates,  did  you  locate  our  man?  "  Quincy 
inquired,  dropping  into  a  chair  without  awaiting  an 
invitation  to  do  so. 

Gates  turned  an  odd  glance  in  his  direction  before 
replying.  "  Oh,  yes,  we  located  him  all  right,"  he 
remarked  very  slowly. 

"  Good  enough,  so  far  as  it  goes,  but  where  is 
he?" 

Again  Gates  prefaced  his  reply  with  the  same 
odd  glance,  then,  jerking  his  thumb  over  his 
shoulder  in  the  general  direction  of  the  interior  of 
the  building,  he  remarked :  "  In  there.  He  was 
picked  up  last  night  just  after  his  return  from  some 
place  he  would  not  mention.  He  called  up  Edgerly 
to  report  that  he  had  returned  early  and  would  be  at 
his  place  at  the  usual  time  in  the  morning.  Then 
Edgerly  passed  the  word  to  us,  swore  out  a  warrant 
for  Jay's  arrest,  and  we  have  him  here." 

Quincy  maintained  a  thoughtful  silence  for  some 
little  time.  "  Why  do  you  think  he  returned,"  he 
asked  finally,  "  bluff  or  ignorance  ?  " 


THE  TRIMOUNTAIN  BANK  211 

"  To  tell  the  truth,  I  can't  make  out,"  Gates  re- 
sponded. "  I  haven't  been  able  to  get  a  yip  out  of 
him  regarding  where  he  has  been  or  why  he  went. 
He  simply  won't  talk,  not  even  to  say  whether  he 
is  guilty  or  innocent,  and  most  of  'em  are  ready 
enough  to  plead  innocence,  even  if  they  won't  say 
anything  else.  Want  to  talk  with  him?" 

As  Quincy  was  ushered  into  one  of  the  detention 
rooms,  Herbert  Jay  was  led  in  by  an  officer,  and 
Quincy  found  himself  facing  a  rather  slightly  built, 
pleasant-faced  young  man  who,  though  seeming  to 
realize  his  predicament,  did  not  appear  in  the  least 
broken  by  the  circumstances.  Quincy  seated  him- 
self and  signed  Gates  to  remain  in  the  room,  keep- 
ing his  eyes  fixed  all  the  while  on  Jay's  face,  to  the 
latter's  evident  discomfort. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Jay,"  said  Quincy  kindly,  "  you  real- 
ize where  you  stand,  of  course." 

Jay  responded  with  a  sharp  glance.  "  What  is 
this  —  the  third  degree  ?  "  he  demanded. 

Quincy' s  eyes  twinkled,  while  Gates  grinned 
openly  at  the  question.  "  No,  we  are  hardly  going 
to  resort  to  such  measures  at  the  present  time.  We 
merely  wish  to  question  you  and  it  can  surely  do 
you  no  harm  to  answer  our  questions." 

Still  Jay  hesitated.  "  I  do  not  like  to  talk  unless 
my  counsel  is  present,"  he  said.  Then,  after  more 
hesitation,  "  But  go  ahead.  I  didn't  take  Edgerly's 


212  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

money,  so  I  don't  see  what  harm  your  questions  can 
do  me." 

Quincy  nodded  gravely.  "  Where  were  you  last 
evening  after  leaving  the  bank  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  I  was  in  Worcester  at  the  home  of  my  aunt." 

"  Was  it  personal  business  that  took  you 
there  ?  "  The  word  business  was  strongly  accented, 
and  Jay's  eyes  narrowed  slightly. 

"  I  was  there  looking  after  personal  affairs, 
yes." 

"  In  your  capacity  of  private  secretary  to  Mr. 
Edgerly  you  frequently  worked  at  his  house,  did 
you  not? " 

"  Yes,  on  an  average  of  two  or  three  evenings  a 
week." 

"  And,  of  course,  whether  he  knew  it  or  not,  you 
became  acquainted  with  Miss  Edgerly." 

Jay's  eyes  gave  forth  a  flash  of  anger  at  the 
words,  and  his  manner  stiffened  perceptibly.  "  I 
hardly  see  why  Miss  Edgerly's  name  should  be 
dragged  into  this,"  he  said  coldly. 

"  I  do  not  propose  to  drag  it  in  any  further," 
Quincy  answered  him ;  "  but  it  was  necessary  for 
me  to  learn  at  least  that  much  of  your  private  life. 
Now,  Mr.  Jay,  if  you  went  to  Worcester  immedi- 
ately after  leaving  the  bank,  are  you  able  to  produce 
a  witness  or  two  who  can  swear  to  having  seen 
you  in  that  city  early  in  the  evening?" 


THE  TRIMOUNTAIN  BANK  213 

"  I  am  able  to  produce  witnesses,"  Jay  responded 
unhesitatingly. 

"  Now,  as  a  final  question,  why  did  you  return 
last  night,  instead  of  this  morning  as  you  originally 
proposed  ?  " 

"  Because  my  affairs  in  Worcester  were  quickly 
arranged  and  I  hurried  back  so  as  to  be  at  my  desk 
without  any  unnecessary  loss  of  time." 

As  Quincy  rose  to  terminate  the  interview  an- 
other thought  appeared  to  strike  him.  "  Oh,  just 
a  moment,  Mr.  Jay,"  he  remarked,  turning  quickly. 
"  Do  you  chance  to  know  what  security  Mr.  Ed- 
gerly  offered  Jabez  Rhodes  when  borrowing  that 
money  ?  " 

Jay's  eyes  flashed  angrily.  "  I  can  imagine/'  he. 
snapped  in  a  tone  that  precluded  further  questioning 
on  the  subject. 

Back  in  the  inspector's  office  once  more,  Quincy 
seated  himself,  lighted  a  cigar  and  appeared  for 
some  time  to  be  buried  in  deep  thought.  He  seemed 
scarcely  to  notice  the  fact  that  Gates  was  busy  at 
the  telephone  and  was  carrying  on  an  apparently 
important  conversation. 

"  Another  development,"  Gates  announced,  hang- 
ing up  the  receiver  and  whirling  about  in  his 
chair. 

"  Well,  what  is  it?  "  Quincy  inquired  mildly  after 
a  pause  of  several  seconds. 


214  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  Edgerly's  daughter  is  not  with  her  friends  in 
Springfield,  and  they  know  nothing,  whatever,  as 
to  her  whereabouts." 

"  Huh !  I  expected  that.  You  don't  mean  to  tell 
me,  Gates,  that  you  haven't  placed  your  finger  on 
that  particular  detail  previous  to  this  time." 

"  You  mean  that  you  think  she  has  eloped  with 
Jay?" 

"  I  don't  think,  Gates ;  I  know.  I  dropped  into 
the  city  clerk's  office  on  my  way  over  here  today 
and  discovered  that  Jay  and  Miss  Edgerly  had  been 
granted  a  marriage  license.  Has  Miss  Edgerly's 
probable  location  now  been  made  beautifully  plain 
to  you?  " 

"  She  is  in  Worcester  with  Jay's  aunt?  " 

"  Surely,  and  she  is  now  Mrs.  Jay.  Can  you  not 
now  figure  out  a  theory  in  regard  to  the  robbery 
that  will  be  a  little  different  from  the  one  you  have 
been  following  ?  " 

Gates  regarded  him  with  a  puzzled  face.  "  Do 
you  know,  Sawyer,"  he  said  at  last,  "  that  you  em- 
ploy such  confoundedly  queer  methods  I  can  never 
be  sure  whether  you  are  joking  me  or  whether  you 
are  in  earnest.  I  have  had  a  theory  all  along,  and 
I  thought  you  were  working  on  the  same  one ;  but 
this  piece  of  information  opens  up  an  entirely  new 
possibility." 

"And  that  possibility  is  what?" 


THE  TRIMOUNTAIN  BANK  215 

For  a  few  moments  Gates  sat  idly  drumming  on 
his  desk  with  a  pencil  while  he  appeared  to  be  care- 
fully revolving  the  matter  in  his  mind.  Then  he 
said  slowly :  "  Well,  this  theory  seems  simple  enough 
in  conception.  Edgerly  was  determined  that  his 
daughter  should  marry  Jabez  Rhodes,  a  man  whom 
we  can  easily  forgive  her  for  despising.  On  the 
other  hand  she  was  in  love  with  Jay  and  was  deter- 
mined to  marry  him  at  any  hazard.  They  arranged 
their  plans,  secured  their  license  and  slipped  away 
to  Worcester,  where  they  were  married.  Before 
going,  however,  Jay,  who  knew  of  the  money  in 
Edgerly's  safe,  determined  to  take  it  and  thus  en- 
rich himself  by  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  to  take 
revenge  on  Edgerly  for  numerous  injuries,  at  one 
blow.  When  Edgerly  left  the  bank  to  see  his 
daughter  on  the  train  for  Springfield,  Jay  slipped 
back  into  the  bank,  secured  the  money  and  made 
away  with  it.  He  then  got  on  board  the  same  train 
for  Springfield  that  carried  Miss  Edgerly,  and  they 
left  the  train  together  at  Worcester.  Jay  then  hur- 
ried back,  prepared  to  work  the  old  bluff  of  being 
on  hand  when  the  loss  was  discovered,  and  thus 
avoid  suspicion." 

When  Gates  had  finished  speaking  Quincy  stared 
incredulously  at  him  for  some  time.  "  Great  Scott, 
Gates,"  he  said  finally;  "that  isn't  worthy  of  you. 
Really  it  isn't.  Here  you've  worked  out  a  theory 


216  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

that  the  poorest  amateur  would  despise  utterly  be- 
cause you  have  completely  lost  sight  of  the  most 
important  details  of  the  case.  If  this  theory  is  true 
as  you  have  mapped  it  out,  then  who  choloro formed 
Edgerly  and  worked  the  other  high  jinks  at  the 
bank?  That  took  place,  you  know,  after  he  had 
returned  from  the  train.  No,  Gates,  I  am  afraid 
we  must  discard  this  theory  as  being  worthless." 

"  Just  a  moment,  Sawyer,"  Gates  interposed  with 
a  grin.  "  I  did  not  intend  the  latter  part  of  that 
theory  of  mine  to  be  taken  seriously.  But,  aside 
from  that,  so  long  as  Edgerly  was  chloroformed 
early  in  the  evening,  is  it  not  possible  that  Jay 
may  have  followed  Miss  Edgerly  on  a  later 
train?" 

"  Yes,  but  what  would  have  been  his  object?  He 
would  hardly  have  gone  to  all  the  trouble  entailed 
in  chloroforming  Edgerly  if  he  could  have  merely 
taken  the  money  and  walked  out  of  the  building 
while  Edgerly  was  absent." 

"  There  are  still  two  possibilities,  Sawyer.  One 
is  that  he  may  not  have  dared  to  walk  out  of  the 
building  while  the  other  clerks  were  there,  for  fear 
of  being  noticed,  and  the  other  possibility  is  that 
he  may  have  looked  upon  the  chloroform  method 
as  being  safer.  The  average  person  would  argue, 
as  you  do,  that  Jay  would  not  have  taken  all  the 
trouble  entailed,  and  that,  therefore,  somebody  else 


THE  TRIMOUNTAIN  BANK  217 

must  be  responsible.  Have  you  a  different  theory, 
Sawyer?  " 

"  Why,  yes,  one  which  varies  somewhat  from 
yours.  It  will  be  necessary  for  me  to  talk  with 
Edgerly  again,  though,  before  I  can  demonstrate 
it,  or  even  fully  explain  it.  Suppose  you  arrange 
with  Edgerly  to  give  us  an  appointment  for  the 
latter  part  of  this  afternoon,  and  to  have  Jabez 
Rhodes  present  also.  You  might  fix  it  by  telling 
him  that  we  have  found  his  daughter  and  will 
bring  her  home  at  that  time.  In  the  meanwhile  I 
shall  run  out  to  Worcester  and  see  if  I  can  induce 
Mrs.  Jay  to  return  with  me." 

At  four  o'clock  that  afternoon  Inspector  Gates 
was  ushered  into  Gorham  Edgerly's  library,  to  find 
present  both  Edgerly  and  Jabez  Rhodes.  Edgerly 
greeted  him  with  a  somewhat  cool  bow,  but  had 
nothing  to  say,  seeming,  as  Gates  noted,  much  agi- 
tated. In  fact,  so  great  was  his  evident  perturbation 
that  he  seemed  unable  to  remain  seated  in  any  par- 
ticular spot,  but  was  continually  jumping  to  his  feet 
and  striding  to  one  of  the  windows,  from  which  he 
would  eagerly  search  the  faces  of  all  persons  within 
range  of  his  vision.  Rhodes,  on  the  other  hand, 
remained  utterly  motionless,  his  shiny  black  clothes, 
shrunken  limbs  and  short  neck  giving  him  much 
the  appearance  of  a  venerable  cricket  crouched  in 
an  out-of-the-way  corner.  His  piercing  gray  eyes, 


218  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

which  peered  through  the  lenses  of  his  spectacles, 
were  the  only  indications  of  life  to  be  found  about 
him. 

It  was  nearly  half  an  hour  later  that  Quincy  ap- 
peared at  the  house,  coming  alone,  to  Edgerly's  un- 
questionable disappointment. 

"  Didn't  you  find  her?  "  Edgerly's  voice  betrayed 
the  first  sign  of  emotion  that  Quincy  had  noticed 
in  it. 

"  Yes,  she  returned  with  me.  She  is  at  present 
in  one  of  the  hotels  down  town  and  will  come  here 
a  little  later.  You  see,  there  are  certain  complica- 
tions which  I  wished  to  smooth  over  before  bring- 
ing her  home." 

At  the  words  Edgerly  looked  up  sharply,  and 
even  Rhodes  appeared  to  take  an  increased  interest 
in  the  subject. 

"  Your  daughter,  Mr.  Edgerly,'*  said  Quincy, 
carefully  studying  the  effect  of  the  information, 
"  returns  as  Mrs.  Herbert  Jay.  She  does  not  yet 
know  that  her  husband  is  in  jail." 

Edgerly  collapsed  into  a  chair,  his  face  gone  sud- 
denly white  and  his  eyes  staring  strangely.  Rhodes, 
however,  maintained  his  impassivity,  not  a  single 
muscle  of  his  face  appearing  to  twitch  with  either 
surprise  or  concern. 

"  Don't  you  think,  Mr.  Edgerly,"  Quincy  con- 
tinued, "  that  your  daughter's  husband  should  be 


THE  TRIMOUNTAIN  BANK  219 

released  from  jail,  and  that  the  charges  you  are 
pressing  against  him  should  be  dropped  ?  " 

Edgerly  appeared  to  hesitate,  and  it  was  evident 
that  his  love  for  his  daughter  and  some  other  pow- 
erful force  were  contending  for  the  mastery.  Be- 
fore he  could  fight  the  matter  out  with  himself,  how- 
ever, Rhodes  interrupted  with  the  first  words  he 
had  spoken  since  Gates  entered. 

"  You  must  remember,  Edgerly,"  came  his  hard, 
chilly  tones,  "  that  your  daughter  disobeyed  you  in 
refusing  to  marry  me,  and,  therefore,  I  hardly  see 
why  s'he  should  expect  either  mercy  or  help  from 
you.  Furthermore,  it  was  my  money  which  was 
stolen,  and  I  shall  feel  it  my  duty  to  press  the  case 
against  Jay,  even  if  you  don't." 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  words  Quincy  whirled 
on  him.  "  No,  you  will  not  press  the  charge,  Mr. 
Rhodes,  for  the  simple  reason  that  Jay  did  not  steal 
your  money  and  you  know  it!  Furthermore,  your 
money  was  never  stolen  at  all;  and,  to  cap  the 
whole  business,  I  strongly  doubt  if  there  was  ever 
anything  other  than  slips  of  worthless  paper  in  the 
package  which  Mr.  Edgerly's  safe  contained !  " 

The  words  brought  Edgerly  half  out  of  his  chair, 
with  face  purpling  and  the  cords  of  his  neck  swell- 
ing, while  even  Rhodes  temporarily  lost  his  poise 
and  glared  craftily  at  Quincy. 

"  May  I   ask,   Mr.   Sawyer,   why  you  think  we 


220  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

should  perform  such  a  strange  prank  ?  "  Rhodes' s 
voice  maintained  its  icy  quality. 

"  The  reason  is  very  simple,  sir !  You  wished  to 
marry  Mr.  Edgerly's  daughter,  and  you  wished  to 
get  Jay  out  of  your  way  in  order  that  you  might 
do  so.  You,  therefore,  conceived  the  scheme  —  I 
say  you,  because  the  whole  idea  savours  of  your 
principles  —  of  having  Jay  convicted  of  robbery 
and  thus  removing  him  from  your  path  and  break- 
ing Miss  Edgerly's  spirit  at  the  same  time.  By  a 
lucky  coincidence  Jay  got  ahead  of  you,  and  was 
married  to  Miss  Edgerly  just  as  you  prepared  to 
spring  your  trap.  The  conception  of  the  scheme, 
Mr.  Rhodes,  was  all  right;  but  its  enactment  was 
horribly  crude!  Bah!  Two  schoolboys  could  have 
arranged  a  better  chain  of  circumstances  than  those 
which  you  and  Mr.  Edgerly  presented.  It  was  evi- 
dent from  the  very  first  that  this  entire  robbery  was 
a  hoax. 

"  See  here,  Mr.  Rhodes ;  did  you  ever  watch  a 
physician  while  he  was  administering  an  anaesthetic  ? 
Did  you  ever  note  the  length  of  time  necessary  to 
produce  complete  anaesthesia?  And,  if  you  ever 
have  seen  those  things,  do  you  imagine  for  a  mo- 
ment that  one  man  could  sneak  up  behind  another 
man  and  chloroform  him  in  the  simple  manner 
which  Mr.  Edgerly  claims?  It  might,  perhaps, 
have  been  accomplished  if  Mr.  Edgerly  had  been 


THE  TRIMOUNTAIN  BANK  221 

asleep;  but  never,  you  may  rest  assured,  while  he 
was  awake.  Consequently,  after  hearing  Mr.  Ed- 
gerly's  account  of  the  chloroforming,  I  made  up 
my  mind  that  the  story  was  false  throughout. 

"  Then,  too,  Mr.  Edgerly  told  of  having  shouted 
repeatedly  for  the  watchman  after  he  had  regained 
consciousness.  Did  you  notice,  Mr.  Edgerly,  how 
easily  Gates  summoned  me,  later  in  the  evening, 
when  he  stood  in  your  office  and  I  was  in  the  very 
place  that  had  previously  been  occupied  by  the 
watchman?  My  examination  of  that  room  was  a 
pretence  arranged  for  making  that  very  discov- 
ery. 

"  Just  which  of  you  took  the  package  from  the 
safe  I  am  not  prepared  to  say,  although  I  have  an 
idea  that  you  took  it,  Mr.  Rhodes.  Mr.  Edgerly 
must  have  had  help  in  tying  himself  to  his  chair, 
and  it  consequently  seems  probable  that  he  admitted 
you  to  the  bank,  and  then,  after  you  had  carried  out 
your  plans,  you  let  yourself  out.  You  have  not 
one  single  leg  to  stand  on,  if  you  undertake  to 
press  your  case  against  Jay,  and  the  inevitable  result 
will  be  that  the  entire  affair  will  come  back  to  perch 
on  your  shoulders.  Now,  then,  what  are  you  going 
to  do  about  it?" 

At  the  conclusion  of  Quincy's  remarks  Rhodes 
fidgeted  uneasily  in  his  chair  for  a  moment.  Then, 
rising  on  his  thin,  tottering  legs,  he  strode  across 


222  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

the  room  and  thrust  his  snarling,  wrinkled  face 
squarely  beneath  Quincy's  eyes. 

"  Bah !  "  he  snarled.  "  What  do  I  care  for  one 
chit  of  a  girl  ?  I  can  get  another.  My  money  will 
buy  me  anything!  And,  remember  this,  you  med- 
dling busybody ;  I'll  lay  for  that  crawling,  miserable 
Jay,  and  some  day  I'll  get  him  in  my  power.  And, 
when  I  do,  I'll  have  my  pay  for  all  this;  yes,  I'll 
get  my  pay  down  to  the  last  penny  he  has,  and  then 
send  him  to  the  penitentiary!  " 

For  a  moment  Quincy  stared  in  disgust  at  the 
senilely  evil  old  face.  He  noted  the  cruel  eyes,  yel- 
lowed fangs  and  curling  lips  and,  then,  unable  to 
subdue  the  wrathful  disgust  that  rose  within  him, 
he  stretched  forth  one  powerful  hand  and  swung 
the  old  miser  clear  off  his  feet,  shaking  him  from 
side  to  side  as  a  terrier  shakes  an  unlucky  rat.  He 
smiled  grimly  as  the  old  man's  wig  flew  in  one  di- 
rection and  his  numerous  other  toilet  accessories 
littered  the  floor;  but  he  did  not  relax  his  grip  in 
the  least  until  Rhodes'  shrill  squeals  grew  weaker 
from  loss  of  breath.  At  last,  jamming  Rhodes 
forcibly  against  the  wall,  and  holding  him  upright, 
he  stared  into  the  terror-stricken  eyes. 

"  By  right,  you  old  reprobate,"  he  growled,  "  I 
should  have  you  arrested  for  conspiracy.  I  am 
going  to  let  you  off  on  that  charge  because  I  wish 
this  matter  to  be  hushed  up;  but,  if  you  ever  at- 


"  JAMMING  RHODES  FORCIBLY  AGAINST  THE  WALL    ...   HE 
STARED   INTO   THE    TERROR  -  STRICKEN   EYES." 


THE  TRIMOUNTAIN  BANK  223 

tempt  anything  whatsoever  against  Jay,  I  swear 
by  all  that's  holy  that  I  shall  drive  you  into  your 
last  ditch  and  see  to  it  that  you  end  your  days  be- 
hind prison  bars.  And  I  solemnly  assure  you  that, 
should  such  an  occasion  ever  arise,  your  money  will 
be  of  no  avail  to  you,  even  though  your  riches  are 
as  great  as  those  of  Croesus.  Now,  go !  "  he  com- 
manded, suddenly  loosing  his  hold  and  stepping 
back.  "  Go,  before  I  forget  myself  entirely  and  — 
and  —  er  —  spank  you !  " 

Rhodes  needed  no  second  invitation.  With  an 
alarmed  glance  over  his  s'houlder,  he  squirmed  out 
of  Quincy's  reach  and  scuttled  through  the  door, 
while  Quincy,  completely  overcome  by  the  spec- 
tacle, sank  into  the  nearest  chair  and  shook  with 
explosive  laughter.  After  a  time,  however,  he  re- 
gained his  composure,  and  turned  once  more  to 
Edgerly. 

"  My  suggestion  to  you,  Mr.  Edgerly,"  he  said, 
"  is  this.  Drop  your  absurd  charge  against  Jay  at 
once  before  the  affair  becomes  noised  abroad.  Re- 
instate him  in  your  bank,  receive  your  daughter  as 
you  should  receive  her,  and  break  off  whatever 
friendship  you  may  have  with  Rhodes." 

For  a  moment  only  Edgerly  hesitated,  gripping 
the  arms  of  his  chair  until  the  backs  of  his  hands 
showed  white.  Then,  leaping  to  his  feet,  he  ex- 
tended his  hand. 


224  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  Fll  do  it,  sir.  By  Jove,  I'll  do  it,"  he  ex- 
claimed. "  I  would  never  have  consented  to  this 
thing  in  the  first  place  if  I  had  been  in  my  right 
mind;  but  I  needed  the  money  that  Rhodes  agreed 
to  hand  over  to  me,  and  he  influenced  me  in  that 
way." 

Quincy  ignored  the  extended  hand.  "  You  can- 
not justify  your  act,  sir,"  he  said  coldly.  "  All  you 
can  do  now  is  to  make  restitution  in  so  far  as  it  lies 
in  your  power.  In  fact,  I  am  not  certain  but  what 
you  need  the  treatment  given  Rhodes  as  badly  as 
he  needed  it  himself,  but  we  can  let  that  pass  if  you 
will  immediately  get  Jay  out  of  the  station  house. 
Then  we  can  go  to  your  daughter." 


V 

THE   AFFAIR   OF   LAMSON's   COOK 

QUINCY  sauntered  slowly  along  the  street,  enjoy- 
ing- the  sunny  warmth  of  an  early  June  morning. 
Few  cases  had  been  presented  to  him  of  late,  and 
the  resulting  inactivity  had  served  to  stock  him,  both 
mentally  and  physically,  with  unusual  energy.  His 
keen  eyes,  restless  with  inaction,  flashed  hither  and 
thither  over  the  small  throng  of  hurrying  pedes- 
trians, as  though  in  search  of  something  on  which 
to  exercise  his  peculiar  talents.  But  the  people  sur- 
rounding him  seemed  productive  of  anything  other 
than  mysteries.  They  comprised  mainly  the  usual 
throng  of  hurrying  clerks,  stenographers  and  other 
employees,  all  rushing  toward  their  individual  desks 
or  stations,  and  whatever  secrets  might  be  buried 
in  their  minds  were  for  the  present,  at  least,  success- 
fully forgotten  or  covered.  With  a  deep  sigh  at 
the  possibility  of  another  day  of  quiet  and  solitude, 
Quincy  turned  slowly  in  the  direction  of  his  own 
office,  but  paused  sharply  as  the  sound  of  a  call 
reached  his  ears. 

"  Sawyer !    Oh,  I  say,  Sawyer !  "  came  the  half- 

225 


226  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

suppressed  shout,  and  Quincy's  eyes,  flashing 
sharply  over  the  street,  instantly  picked  out  the 
source  of  the  call. 

Slowly  bearing  down  on  him,  through  the  press 
of  market  wagons,  trucks  and  other  early  morning 
vehicles,  came  a  handsome  touring  car.  At  the 
wheel  sat  an  impassive  French  chauffeur  and  in  the 
tonneau  a  fat,  puffy  little  man  danced  frantically 
about  for  all  the  world  like  a  huge  bullfrog  in  a 
net.  Quincy  recognized  the  man  as  Herbert  Lam- 
son,  prominent  clubman,  first-nighter,  and  society 
leader  in  general,  and  wondered  vaguely  what  un- 
seemly occurrence  could  have  brought  Lamson  out 
at  that  early  hour  of  the  morning.  He  halted  and 
stood  smiling  interrogatively  as  the  machine  drew 
up  at  the  curb. 

"  Oh,  I  say,  Sawyer !  "  Lamson  puffed,  as  soon 
as  the  car  had  been  brought  to  a  halt.  "  It's  lucky 
I  found  you,  you  know.  I  want  you  to  come  right 
out  to  my  house  without  a  moment's  delay.  We've 
had  a  frightful  occurrence  there.  Frightful!" 

"Which  house?"  Quincy  inquired,  ignoring  the 
door  which  Lamson  held  invitingly  open. 

"  My  country  house,  Sawyer.  The  one  at 
Beverly.  Come  right  away,  won't  you?  It's  an 
awful  thing  and  I  simply  must  have  help!  " 

"  But,  what  is  it  ?  What  has  happened  ?  "  Quincy 
questioned,  not  relishing  the  idea  of  being  dragged 


LAMSON'S  COOK  227 

down  to  Beverly  to  discover  who  had  thrown  a 
pebble  through  one  of  Lamson's  plate  glass  win- 
dows, which  possibility,  knowing  Lamson  as  well 
as  he  did,  Quincy  deemed  not  improbable. 

"It's  murder,  Sawyer,  murder!"  Lamson  splut- 
tered, spitting  out  the  word  as  though  it  choked 
him  and  gazing  helplessly  at  Quincy  through  his 
round,  sheep-like  eyes.  "  Somebody  brutally  mur- 
dered my  cook  last  night  —  and  she  could  cook  the 
best  fish  dinners  I  ever  tasted." 

Quincy  barely  suppressed  a  desire  to  laugh  at 
the  incongruity  of  the  two  statements,  knowing  well 
that  the  only  method  of  endearing  oneself  to  Lam- 
son was  through  the  medium  of  the  latter's  digest- 
ive system.  For  a  moment  only  he  hesitated,  then, 
swinging  into  the  car  beside  Lamson,  he  settled 
back  for  the  ride  to  Beverly. 

"  Now,  Lamson,"  he  said,  when  the  car  had 
drawn  away  from  the  midcity  tumult,  "  give  me 
some  of  the  details  of  this  case  so  that  I  may  be 
prepared  to  act  when  we  arrive.  Just  when,  so  far 
as  you  can  tell,  did  the  murder  take  place  ?  " 

"  I  can't  say  just  when,"  Lamson  informed  him. 
"  I  was  away  from  the  house  from  five  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  until  late  last  night.  It  might  have 
been  done  while  I  was  away,  or  after  I  returned, 
because  she  was  not  discovered  until  early  this 
morning.  One  of  the  maids,  according  to  custom, 


228  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

went  to  call  her  in  time  to  prepare  breakfast,  and 
found  her  dead.  I  was  immediately  notified  and, 
not  knowing  what  else  -to  do,  I  hurried  up  after 
you.  I'll  catch  that  murderer,  Sawyer,  if  it  costs 
me  my  entire  fortune,"  he  broke  off  savagely. 
"  That  woman  was  a  downright  shrew,  but  she 
could  cook,  —  Lord  bless  you !  she  could  cook ! 
And  now  I  must  spend  a  year  or  two  hunting  an- 
other cook,  and  I  shall  probably  be  obliged  to  live 
on  all  manner  of  horrible  dishes  during  my  search. 
I  know  I  can  never  find  another  who  will  be  able 
to  cook  fish  the  way  she  could !  "  He  seemed  sad- 
dened, almost  to  the  point  of  breaking  down,  at  the 
last  thought. 

"  I  understand,  Lamson,"  said  Quincy,  after  a 
protracted  coughing  fit  behind  his  hand.  "  But  I 
want  to  get  the  facts  of  the  case  itself,  the  murder. 
How  was  she  murdered,  and  do  you  suspect  any- 
body? Now,  give  me  something  of  that  sort  to 
work  on.  First,  what  was  her  name,  where  did 
she  come  from,  and  how  long  had  she  been  with 
you  ?  " 

"  Her  name,"  said  Lamson  in  a  saddened  voice, 
apparently  engendered  by  the  thought  of  the  fish 
dinners  which  were  to  be  his  no  more,  "  was  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Buck.  She  had  been  with  me  as  cook  for 
about  twelve  years,  but  I  have  no  idea  where  she 
came  from  originally.  You  see,  I  was  obliged  to 


LAMSON'S  COOK  229 

hire  her  rather  hastily  at  a  time  when  I  was  giving 
a  dinner  and  my  other  cook  —  " 

"Yes,  yes,"  Quincy  hurriedly  interrupted,  "but 
had  she  any  relatives  or  friends  who  wrote  to  her, 
or  with  whom  she  visited  ?  " 

"  Nobody  of  whom  I  ever  heard.  In  fact,  from 
the  time  when  I  first  engaged  her,  I  do  not  believe 
she  has  been  away  from  my  house  a  single  day. 
Her  sharp  temper  would  rather  preclude  the  possi- 
bility of  her  having  any  friends,  and  I  doubt  if  there 
was  a  person  in  the  world,  outside  myself,  in  whom 
she  felt  the  slightest  interest." 

"  Now/'  said  Quincy  approvingly,  "  you  are 
started  right.  Give  me  all  the  details  you  can  up 
to  the  time  when  the  body  was  discovered." 

"  Well,  she  was  a  woman  who,  as  I  said,  appar- 
ently had  neither  friends  nor  acquaintances.  There- 
fore, I  do  not  think  that  the  affair  occurred  because 
of  some  old  grudge  a  previous  associate  may  have 
owed  her.  Since  I  have  been  talking  with  you  a 
possibility,  which  hitherto  had  not  occurred  to  me, 
has  come  into  my  mind.  I  paid  her  well,  very  well, 
and,  as  I  never  knew  of  her  spending  much  money 
at  a  time,  she  must  have  been  able  to  lay  by  quite 
a  bit  in  the  last  twelve  years.  Of  course  she  may 
have  kept  her  money  in  a  savings  bank,  but  it  is 
equally  possible  that  her  distrustful  nature  led  her 
to  hide  it  somewhere  about  her  house.  She  did  not 


230  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

room  in  my  'house,  but  in  a  little  cottage  which 
stood  on  the  grounds,  living  by  herself.  Now  the 
possibility  I  mentioned,  and  which,  at  the  time  when 
I  left,  had  not  been  investigated,  is  that  somebody 
may  have  murdered  her  for  her  money.  Damn  'em ! 
I'd  have  given  them  an  equal  amount  gladly,  if 
they'd  only  have  let  her  live  to  cook  for  me. 

"  In  person  she  was  a  small  woman  of  perhaps 
fifty,  although  she  was  so  wizened  and  dried-up  by 
nature  that  she  might  have  been  either  more  or  less. 
In  fact,  her  appearance  has  never  changed  since  I 
have  known  her.  She  was  very  small  in  stature, 
and,  although  I  think  she  would  have  been  capable 
of  putting  up  'a  stiff  fight,  she  would  have  been  no 
match,  of  course,  for  an  ordinarily  strong  man. 
Last  night,  the  servants  say,  she  retired  to  her  cot- 
tage at  her  usual  time,  and  nothing  was  heard  of 
her  during  the  evening.  Very  early  this  morning 
one  of  the  maids  went  to  call  her  and,  receiving  no 
response  to  her  knock,  pushed  open  the  door  and 
found  the  body. 

"  The  woman  had  been  stabbed,  and  the  place 
was  in  a  terrible  state  of  disorder;  but  that  part 
of  it  you  can  see  for  yourself  when  we  get  there. 
I  left  orders  that  nobody  should  enter  the  building, 
and  that  nothing  was  to  be  disturbed  until  I  re- 
turned. On  making  the  discovery,  the  maid  rushed 
from  the  house  screaming,  and  fell  on  the  lawn  in 


LAMSON'S  COOK  231 

a  dead  faint.  I  was  at  once  called,  and,  by  the  time 
the  maid  had  regained  her  senses,  I  was  on  the  spot. 
As  soon  as  she  had  told  her  story  I  looked  hastily 
into  the  woman's  house  to  verify  the  facts,  and 
hurried  to  Boston  to  secure  your  services.  You 
are,  of  course,  to  do  whatever  you  think  best  in  the 
matter,  and  I  give  you  full  authority  to  act  in 
any  way  you  may  deem  necessary  on  my  prem- 
ises." 

For  a  few  moments,  following  the  recital,  Quincy 
was  silent,  knowing  well  that  little  further  informa- 
tion was  to  be  gained  until  he  should  arrive  at  the 
grounds  and  be  able  to  examine  the  premises  in 
person. 

"  How  did  you  come  to  employ  the  woman  when 
you  had  absolutely  no  knowledge  of  her,  or  of  her 
previous  state  of  life?"  he  asked,  after  a  time. 

"  Why,  I  told  you  that  I  was  obliged  to  have  a 
cook  in  great  haste  at  that  time,"  Lamson  pro- 
tested. "  She  was  well  recommended  'as  a  cook  by 
the  employment  agency,  and  consequently  I  hired 
her  with  very  little  question.  I  have  never  had  any 
trouble  whatever  with  her  and,  in  the  twelve  years,  I 
had  come  to  look  on  her  as  being  scrupulously 
honest  and  trustworthy  in  every  way.  But  wait, 
we  are  nearly  there  now,  and  you  will  soon  have 
an  opportunity  to  judge  this  matter  at  first  hand." 

Quincy  stared  unseeingly  at  the  low  and  dirty 


232  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

wooden  buildings  which  lined  the  street  along 
which  the  machine  was  speeding.  The  case  ap- 
pealed strongly  to  him  as  it  had  been  rehearsed,  and 
he  could  not  suppress  a  certain  intangible  feeling 
that  it  would  grow  yet  more  interesting  as  it  pro- 
gressed. Of  course,  he  considered,  in  case  of  a 
murder  for  the  purpose  of  robbery,  at  the  possibility 
of  which  Lamson  hinted,  the  case  would  undoubt- 
edly degenerate  into  a  mere  police  routine  affair  in 
which  he  could  take  no  part.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  very  air  of  mystery  which  appeared  to 
surround  the  woman,  herself,  gave  a  vague  prom- 
ise of  possibilities  into  which  he  would  be  able  to 
dig  and  search  to  his  heart's  content.  He  glanced 
once  more  at  his  surroundings,  and  discovered  that 
they  were  now  in  more  open  country  and  that  the 
dirty  little  buildings  had  given  place  to  the  more 
imposing  residences  of  Beverly's  summer  colony. 
The  machine  turned  abruptly,  and  he  discovered 
that  they  were  rolling  up  a  curved  driveway  to  what 
was  undoubtedly  Lamson's  house. 

A  much  agitated  servant  hurried  up  to  the 
machine  as  they  alighted  and,  after  a  somewhat 
doubtful  glance  at  Quincy,  reported  in  a  rapid  un- 
dertone : 

"  The  police  are  here,  sir,  and  the  medical  exam- 
iner. I  told  them  of  my  orders  against  allowing 
anybody  to  enter  the  cook's  house  until  you  had 


LAMSON'S  COOK  233 

returned  with  a  detective,  and  they  consented  to 
wait.  They  are  down  under  the  tree  by  the  house 
now." 

"  All  right,  Higgins,"  Lamson  replied,  turning 
once  more  toward  Quincy.  "  Now,  Mr.  Sawyer,  if 
you  will  come  right  down  we  can  all  examine  the 
rooms  together.  I  am  somewhat  surprised  that  the 
police  consented  to  await  my  return.  They  are  usu- 
ally little  inclined  to  await  the  convenience  of  a 
private  detective,  are  they  not  ?  " 

"  Unfortunately,  they  are,"  Quincy  replied  with  a 
dry  smile.  "  The  police  in  a  large  city  would  not 
have  done  so,  under  any  circumstances;  but  it  is 
probable  that  in  these  smaller  towns  the  police  and 
all  other  municipal  officials  are  more  ready  to  pay 
heed  to  the  wishes  of  their  wealthy  residents.  It  is 
out  of  respect  to  you,  and  through  no  regard  for  me, 
that  they  are  waiting. " 

Quincy  carefully  examined  the  exterior  of  the 
cook's  former  place  of  residence  as  they  approached. 
It  was  a  pretty  little  cottage,  painted  a  conservative 
white  and  standing  in  a  location  considerably  re- 
moved from  the  residence  of  Lamson  himself.  The 
cottage  was  of  fair  dimensions,  containing,  he 
judged,  about  six  rooms;  but  it  appeared  dwarfed 
because  of  the  giant  horse-chestnut  trees  which 
towered  above  it  on  every  side.  From  beneath  one 
of  these  trees  three  men  arose,  and  came  forward  to 


234  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

meet  them,  Quincy  having  an  excellent  opportunity 
to  examine  the  officials  as  they  advanced. 

The  foremost  of  the  trio  he  judged,  by  reason  of 
the  bountiful  supply  of  gold  braid  sprinkled  over 
his  uniform,  to  be  the  chief  of  the  local  department. 
The  second,  who  followed  at  a  respectful  distance, 
was  evidently  a  member  of  the  force,  while  the  last, 
a  rather  small,  dark-faced  man  in  plain  clothes,  was 
undoubtedly  the  medical  examiner.  As  Quincy  and 
Lamson  halted  before  the  house,  the  chief  bustled 
up  to  them,  a  smile,  which  was  evidently  intended  to 
be  courteous,  playing  across  his  ordinarily  pompous 
features. 

"  We  have  been  waiting  some  time  for  you,  Mr. 
Lamson,"  he  remarked;  "but  under  the  circum- 
stances we  were  willing  to  delay  our  work  until  your 
return.  The  affair  undoubtedly  will  prove  a  simple 
one,  and  it  is  too  bad  you  have  gone  to  the  expense 
of  importing  a  private  detective."  With  the  con- 
cluding words  he  shot  a  brief,  but  unfriendly,  glance 
in  Quincy's  direction. 

Lamson  made  no  reply  to  the  speech,  other  than 
by  a  brief  nod  of  recognition,  and,  stepping  quickly 
to  the  door,  he  unlocked  it  and  threw  it  open,  stand- 
ing aside  to  allow  the  entrance  of  the  officials.  Like 
a  pack  of  hounds  unleashed  the  local  men  dived 
through  the  door,  and  into  what  was  apparently  a 
living  room,  Quincy  and  Lamson  following  in  their 


LAMSON'S  COOK  235 

rear.  On  entering  the  room  all  paused  abruptly  and 
stared  about  them,  the  scene  well  warranting  the 
sudden  halt. 

The  room  was,  indeed,  in  a  terrible  state  of  dis- 
order. Furniture  had  been  overturned,  some  had 
been  broken,  all  had  been  misplaced,  and  on  every 
hand  were  to  be  seen  signs  of  violence  and  con- 
fusion. The  main  feature,  'however,  was  to  be  found 
in  the  figure  of  a  little  woman  who  lay  almost  in 
the  very  middle  of  the  room.  The  body  lay  face 
down,  the  hair  dishevelled  and  the  clothing  some- 
what disarranged  from  the  struggle,  while  from  its 
side  and  several  inches  below  the  left  armpit  pro- 
truded the  hilt  of  a  heavy  and  strong-bladed  knife. 
There  were  very  few  signs  of  blood,  as  the  wound 
had  evidently  bled  inwardly;  but  the  scene  was 
ghastly  enough  without  that. 

Exercising  the  prerogative  of  his  office,  the  medi- 
cal examiner  strode  forward  and  knelt  at  the  side 
of  the  body,  gently  turning  it  over.  As  he  did  so 
the  watchers  instinctively  started,  for  on  the 
woman's  face  was  revealed  such  an  expression  of 
fierce  and  malignant  hatred  as  it  is  seldom  the  mis- 
fortune of  any  person  to  gaze  on.  The  lips  were 
drawn  back  in  a  snarl  of  rage  which  left  exposed  the 
worn  and  ragged  teeth,  and  the  eyes,  fixed  and 
staring,  seemed  to  hold  in  their  depths  a  fury 
scarcely  human. 


236  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  Lord !  "  muttered  Lamson,  repressing  a  shud- 
der. "  She  surely  didn't  die  with  any  love  of  man 
in  her  heart." 

The  medical  examiner  grimly  held  up  the  knife. 
"  From  here  on  it's  your  work,  gentlemen,"  he  ob- 
served. "  Make  what  you  can  of  this." 

The  chief  took  the  knife,  and  all  stared  curiously 
at  it.  It  was  an  ordinary  wooden-hilted  knife  of  the 
kind  to  be  found  in  any  market  and,  from  the  thin- 
ness of  the  blade,  it  had  evidently  known  long  serv- 
ice and  many  grindings.  After  nodding  his  head 
over  it  several  times,  the  chief  passed  the  knife  on 
to  Quincy  with  the  air  of  a  man  wishing  to  be  cour- 
teous, although  hardly  recognizing  the  possibility  of 
any  value  in  the  act.  To  Quincy,  judging  from  his 
expression,  the  knife  meant  much  or  nothing.  He 
glanced  at  it  keenly,  turned  it  over  several  times  and  . 
then,  without  comment,  returned  it  to  the  chief. 

The  search  for  clues  then  started  in  earnest,  the 
two  members  of  the  regular  force  burrowing  amidst 
the  debris  in  the  room  like  terriers  after  a  rat.  They 
pulled  open  every  drawer,  peered  under  or  through 
every  article  of  furniture,  and  minutely  examined 
every  square  inch  of  space  in  the  room.  Now  and 
then  the  chief  would  pause  to  glance  speculatively  at 
Quincy,  as  though  in  fear  that  the  private  detective 
might  stumble  on  a  clue  that  the  regulars  had  over- 
looked. After  each  scrutiny,  however,  he  invariably 


LAMSON'S  COOK  237 

returned  to  his  search,  appearing  satisfied  that 
Quincy's  aimless  wanderings  would  net  him  nothing 
of  value  in  the  way  of  clues. 

"  By  the  way,  Chief,"  Quincy  interrupted  at 
length,  "  may  I  inquire  as  to  what  it  is  that  you 
expect  to  find  in  this  room?  " 

The  chief  eyed  him  suspiciously  before  replying. 
"  Well,  it's  not  customary  to  hand  our  suspicions  to 
outsiders,  but,  as  you  are,  in  a  way,  one  of  us,  I 
don't  mind  telling  you.  Of  course  we  are  looking 
for  possible  clues  which  the  murderer  may  have  left 
behind,  but  primarily  I  want  to  discover  whether  or 
not  the  old  woman's  hoard  of  money  is  missing." 

"  I  see,  Chief;  but,  unless  we  know,  which  we  do 
not,  where  the  money  was  hidden,  how  are  we  to  be 
able  to  tell  whether  or  not  it  is  gone?  We  suspect, 
of  course,  but  we  do  not  know,  that  there  was  money 
hidden  in  the  house.  It  is  hardly  likely  that  the 
woman  would  have  kept  any  quantity  of  it  hidden 
away  in  a  bureau  drawer.  It  strikes  me  that  if  she 
had  money  to  hide  she  would  have  placed  it  in  a 
more  secret  hiding-place  —  under  the  floor  boards, 
behind  a  stone  in  the  cellar  wall,  or  in  some  similar 
crevice.  We  might  search  a  week  and  still  not  find 
the  place.  And,  even  if  we  should  chance  to  find 
the  money,  all  we  should  'have  gained  would  be  a 
knowledge  that  the  murderer  did  not  take  it.  Look 
over  the  room.  There  was  no  search  for  money  pre- 


238  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

vious  to  our  coming.  That  furniture  was  all  dis- 
arranged during  the  struggle.  Either  the  murderer 
knew  exactly  where  the  money  was  hidden,  and 
took  it  from  its  hiding-place,  or  else  he  was  actuated 
by  some  other  motive,  entirely,  and  had  neither 
thought  nor  regard  for  the  money  that  might  be 
here." 

The  chief  listened  stolidly  to  Quincy's  summing 
up  of  the  matter;  but  he  seemed  unimpressed. 
"  You  are  at  liberty  to  follow  any  method  you  please 
in  the  conduct  of  your  search,"  he  said  coldly ;  "  but 
the  regular  police  must  act  under  my  orders,  and  I 
see  no  necessity  for  changing  the  orders  because  of 
your  ingenious  theory.  I  am  experienced  in  these 
matters,  Mr.  Sawyer,  and  I  judge  that  you  are  not; 
so  please  don't  confuse  my  men  by  advancing  any 
other  theories.  This  murder  was  for  the  purpose  of 
robbery,  and  for  no  other  purpose  under  the  sun." 

Quincy  meekly  accepted  the  rebuff  without  reply, 
but  there  was  a  peculiar  smile  playing  about  his  lips 
as  he  turned  away.  Apparently  undisturbed,  he  wan- 
dered nonchalantly  out  of  the  room,  with  Lamson, 
angered  at  the  treatment  his  special  representative 
had  received,  trailing  behind.  To  the  remaining 
rooms  on  the  first  floor  Quincy  paid  only  the  most 
casual  notice,  doing  little  more  than  to  glance  into 
each  before  ascending  the  stairs.  On  the  second 
floor,  however,  his  interest  appeared  to  awaken,  es- 


LAMSON'S  COOK  239 

pecially  when  the  woman's  chamber  had  been 
reached. 

Once  within  the  chamber  his  aimless  wandering 
ceased,  and  his  every  movement  appeared  to  take  on 
a  definite  purpose.  He  glanced  sharply  over  the 
walls,  carefully  scrutinizing  the  few  pictures  with 
which  they  were  adorned,  after  which  he  stepped 
briskly  to  the  bureau,  where  he  conducted  a  most 
minute  examination  of  the  contents  of  every  drawer. 
Once  he  paused  and  held  up  a  small  packet  before  the 
gaze  of  Lamson,  grinning  as  he  did  so. 

"  I  imagine  our  friends  down-stairs  would  be  in- 
terested in  this,"  he  remarked. 

"  What  are  they?  "  Lamson  questioned  eagerly. 

"  Bank  books.  Your  late  cook  evidently  patron- 
ized several  savings  banks,  instead  of  hoarding  her 
money  as  has  been  suspected.  I'll  place  them  back 
where  they  were,  and  let  the  police  discover  them 
when  they  reach  this  point  in  their  search.  At  their 
present  rate  of  speed  they  should  reach  this  room 
in  a  day  or  two." 

For  some  little  time,  after  the  discovery  of  the 
books,  he  remained  before  the  bureau,  searching 
every  nook  and  cranny  of  it.  At  last,  appearing 
vastly  dissatisfied  with  the  result,  he  arose  and  stood 
meditatively  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  allowing  his 
eyes  to  run  rapidly  over  first  one  article  of  furniture 
and  then  another. 


240  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  Did  your  cook  have  a  trunk  when  she  came 
here  ?  "  he  questioned  abruptly. 

"  I  don't  think  so,"  said  Lamson  slowly,  as  he 
strived  to  remember  the  event  of  twelve  years  previ- 
ous. "  No,  I  am  sure  she  brought  with  her  one  of 
those  old-fashioned  canvas  extension  bags.  It  must 
be  around  here  somewhere." 

Quincy's  interest  appeared  to  renew  itself  at  the 
information,  and  he  was  immediately  deep  in  his 
search  again.  At  last,  with  much  shuffling  and  scuf- 
fling of  his  feet,  he  emerged  backward  from  a  dark 
nook  in  the  closet,  dragging  after  him  the  described 
bag.  Placing  it  on  the  floor,  he  arose  and  stared  at 
Lamson  through  eyes  shining  with  eagerness. 

"  Lamson,"  he  said,  "  I  expect  to  find  the  clue  I 
want  in  that  bag.  There  is  one  thing  that  no  woman, 
and  few  men  for  that  matter,  regardless  of  station 
in  life,  is  without  in  these  days.  It  may  be  only  the 
most  tantalizing  of  clues  which  I  shall  be  able  to 
make  nothing  of,  but  I'll  stake  my  reputation  that 
it's  there." 

With  no  further  explanation  he  threw  back  the 
cover  of  the  bag,  dropped  on  his  knees  before  it, 
and  dug  into  its  contents.  For  several  moments 
there  was  no  sound  save  his  eager  breathing,  echoed 
by  the  puffing  breaths  of  Lamson,  and  the  swishing 
of  articles  being  hastily  overturned  in  the  bag.  Then, 
with  an  almost  explosive  exhalation,  he  started  back 


LAMSON'S  COOK  241 

and  sprang  to  his  feet,  three  small  articles  in  his 
hand. 

"  I  have  it,  Lamson,"  he  exclaimed.  "  I  have  it. 
Now,  what  can  we  make  of  it  ?  " 

He  strode  to  the  nearest  window,  with  Lamson 
scuttling  at  his  heels,  and  held  up  to  the  light  three 
small,  unmounted  photographs.  "  You  see,  Lam- 
son," he  said,  "  every  woman  has  a  certain  degree 
of  sentiment  in  her  makeup.  Consequently,  in  these 
days  of  plentiful  photographs,  there  is  scarcely  a 
woman  anywhere  who  does  not  possess  photographs 
of  her  early  home,  or  associations  surrounding  it. 
Here  we  have  the  photographs,  but,  as  they  are  not 
mounted,  and  bear  no  photographer's  seal,  their 
value  to  us  will  depend  on  our  ability  to  recognize 
the  places  represented." 

Lamson  stared  incredulously.  "  But  my  dear 
Sawyer,"  he  protested,  "  those  photographs  may 
represent  scenes  hundreds  or  thousands  of  miles 
from  here.  How  are  we  to  recognize  them?  " 

Quincy  lowered  the  photographs  and  turned  im- 
pressively. "  Lamson,"  he  said,  "  I  have  not  yet 
looked  at  those  photographs  closely,  but  mark  my 
words  when. I  tell  you  that  they  will  represent  scenes 
within  a  radius  of  fifty  miles.  That  woman  was 
not  a  traveller." 

Without  further  comment  he  raised  the  photo- 
graphs once  more  and  studied  them  carefully. 


242  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

The  first  depicted  a  woman,  beyond  doubt  Mrs. 
Buck  at  a  period  much  earlier  in  her  life,  standing 
before  a  small  cottage  of  the  style  of  architecture 
most  frequently  seen  among  the  houses  of  the  ocean 
fishermen.  The  second  showed  a  large  open  boat, 
a  trawler,  fully  manned,  and  lying  just  below  a 
wharf  with  the  wharf's  buildings  visible  in  the 
background.  The  last  showed  two  fishermen  stand- 
ing on  the  steps  of  a  hotel,  and  holding  between 
them  a  strange  monster  of  the  deep,  while,  from 
above,  curious  guests  peered  down  from  over  the 
balcony  rail. 

"  There,  Lamson,  I  think  we  have  our  clue." 
"  But  how  ?     What  in  the  deuce  is  there  to  all 
that  stuff  that  shows  you  anything?  "    Lamson  was 
fairly  staggered  with  bewilderment. 

"  Look  here !  "  Quincy  flipped  the  second  photo- 
graph into  view.  "  That  trawler  indicates,  as  do  all 
three  photographs,  a  fishing  community.  Now  look 
at  the  buildings  in  the  background.  On  the  central 
building  you  can  dimly  distinguish  the  sign  of  the 
fishing  company;  The  Bay  State  Codfish  Com- 
pany. Now  look  at  this  third  photograph.  Above 
the  fishermen's  heads  is  the  sign  of  the  Puritan 
Hotel.  By  coupling  those  two  names  we  have  our 
clue.  Both  the  Bay  State  Codfish  Company  and 
the  Puritan  Hotel  are  located  in  Gloucester.  In  the 
photograph  of  Mrs.  Buck  herself  we  find  her  stand- 


LAMSON'S  COOK  243 

ing  before  a  typical  fisherman's  cottage.  There- 
fore, does  our  clue  not  point  toward  Gloucester  as 
a  starting-point  in  our  search  for  the  woman's 
identity  and  that  of  her  murderer?  I  also  have 
another  clue,  but  I  shall  leave  that  out  of  the  mat- 
ter for  the  present." 

"Then  you  will  go  to  Gloucester?"  Lamson 
questioned. 

"  At '  once,  although  I  would  suggest  that  you 
do  not  mention  the  fact  to  the  police.  It  might 
only  serve  to  further  muddle  their  brains,  and  they 
are  sufficiently  at  sea  in  regard  to  this  case  already." 

"  You  may  use  my  car  for  the  trip  if  you  want 
to,"  Lamson  volunteered  immediately. 

"  No,  I  thank  you.  I  prefer  to  go  in  the  train. 
I  shall  be  pleased  to  have  your  car  take  me  to  the 
station,  though,  if  that  will  not  inconvenience  you." 

As  the  pair  descended  the  stairs  they  paused  a 
moment  to  gaze  at  the  activities  of  the  police.  The 
room  remained  in  much  the  same  condition  as  when 
they  had  originally  viewed  it,  except  for  the  fact 
that  the  body  had  been  removed,  thus  doing  away 
with  the  most  gruesome  feature  of  the  case.  See- 
ing them,  the  chief  paused  for  a  moment. 

"  Giving  up  so  early  in  the  game,  Mr.  Sawyer?  " 
he  inquired,  a  slightly  sneering  accent  in  his  voice. 

"  Not  exactly  giving  up,  Chief,"  Quincy  replied, 
ignoring  the  tone.  "  But  my  business  temporarily 


244  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

calls  me  elsewhere,  and,  for  the  present,  I  shall  be 
obliged  to  absent  myself.  I  expect  to  return  here 
later  on,  though,  unless  in  the  meantime  you  have 
been  able  to  solve  the  mystery.  You  have  found  no 
trace  of  hidden  wealth  as  yet,  I  suppose?  " 

"  No,  we  have  found  nothing,  but  there  must  be 
some  clue  to  it  somewhere.  I  am  about  to  act  on 
your  suggestion  and  search  the  cellar." 

"  Before  you  do  that,  Chief,"  said  Quincy,  smiling 
frankly,  "  I  would  suggest  that  you  search  the 
woman's  chamber.  There  are  some  bank-books 
there  which  will  be  of  interest  to  you." 

"  You  mean  that  her  money  was  deposited  in  a 
bank  ?  "  the  chief  demanded  sharply. 

"  It  was,  and  still  is,  in  a  bank,  or  in  banks,  to  be 
more  exact.  I  fear  you  will  be  wasting  your  time 
if  you  search  farther  for  it  here." 

For  a  moment  the  chief  stared  silently,  but  at  last 
a  slow  grin  began  to  relieve  the  hard  lines  of  his 
face.  "  Mr.  Sawyer,"  he  said,  "  you  have  put  one 
across  on  us.  I  held  you  lightly  in  the  beginning 
because,  several  times  of  late,  my  department  has 
been  considerably  hindered  by  the  actions  of  ama- 
teur detectives,  and  I  took  you  to  belong  to  the 
same  class.  I  see  you  know  your  business,  and  I 
apologize  for  my  former  abruptness  of  speech." 

The  speech  came  as  a  complete  surprise  to  Quincy, 
but  he  was  not  to  be  outdone  in  courtesy.  "  Chief," 


LAMSON'S  COOK  245 

he  said,  "  I  accept  your  remarks  in  the  spirit  in 
which  they  were  intended.  Frankly,  I  am  now  start- 
ing out  on  a  clue  which  I  think  will  prove  valuable. 
If  I  am  successful  I  shall  notify  you  of  the  fact  on 
my  return,  and  it  is  highly  probable  that  we  may  be 
able  to  act  together  in  the  final  scenes." 

The  chief  regarded  him  with  increased  respect. 
"  I  shall  be  pleased  to  act  with  you  if  you  are  suc- 
cessful," he  said  simply. 

In  ten  minutes  time  Quincy  was  seated  in  Lam- 
son's  car  and  hurrying  toward  the  railroad  station. 
Shortly  afterward  he  was  aboard  a  train  for 
Gloucester  and,  bending  over  the  three  photographs, 
was  carefully  arranging  his  plans  for  the  campaign 
he  intended  to  wage  in  that  peculiar  city. 

All  that  day,  and  throughout  the  night,  Lamson 
and  the  chief  anxiously  awaited  the  return  of  Quincy 
or  the  coming  of  some  word  which  would  indicate 
his  progress.  The  affair  by  that  time  had  been 
spread  broadcast  through  the  medium  of  the  press, 
and  the  grounds  swarmed  with  reporters,  to  the  dis- 
gust of  Lamson,  who  cordially  hated  the  notoriety 
which  was  thus  being  brought  to  his  door.  The 
second  forenoon  following  the  murder  passed  away 
without  result  in  the  desired  direction,  and  Lamson, 
unused  to  the  necessary  tedium  of  a  police  investiga- 
tion, and  suffering  from  the  strain  involved,  was  at 
his  wits'  end  when  Quincy  suddenly  reappeared  as 


246  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

unostentatiously  as  he  had  departed.  Lamson 
rushed  eagerly  from  the  house  to  greet  him,  the 
chief,  no  less  eager,  hurrying  after,  while  the  hand- 
ful of  reporters  clustered  around,  listening  intently 
for  the  first  hint  which  might  be  incorporated  in 
their  several  stories.  Quincy  waved  them  laugh- 
ingly aside. 

"  Not  yet,  boys,"  he  adjured  them.  "  I  have  a 
good  story  for  you,  and  you  shall  have  it  very 
shortly,  but  I  must  first  make  my  report  to  Mr. 
Lamson." 

Obediently  the  reporters  fell  back,  accepting  his 
assurance  without  question.  Lamson  and  the  chief 
reached  him  simultaneously  and,  above  the  hurried 
hum  of  the  reporters'  voices,  rose  Lamson's  ap- 
peal: 

"  What  luck,  Sawyer  ?  For  heaven's  sake  tell 
me  the  result  quickly." 

Quincy  took  him  soothingly  by  the  arm.  "  It's 
settled,  Lamson,"  he  said  quietly;  "but  my  investi- 
gation has  had  a  most  remarkable  result.  A  most 
surprising  result !  Come  into  the  house,  and  I'll  tell 
you  all  about  it." 

When  they  were  seated  in  the  library,  or  at  least 
when  the  chief  and  Quincy  were  seated,  Lamson 
being  too  nervous  to  do  anything  other  than  to 
fidget  about  the  room,  Quincy  digressed  slightly 
from  the  point  of  the  matter  in  hand. 


LAMSON'S  COOK  247 

"  I  notice  that  you  have  gained  considerable  noto- 
riety, Lamson/'  he  said. 

"  Notoriety !  "  Lamson  snorted  the  word  furi- 
ously. "  Notoriety !  Yes,  I  certainly  have,  thanks 
to  the  press  and  its  representatives  outside!  Look 
at  the  headlines  which  have  been  running.  *  Wealthy 
Epicurean's  Cook  Murdered/  *  Lamson's  Elysium 
Wrecked  by  Murderer/  and  so  on  without  end! 
Why  in  the  world  must  I  be  dragged  into  the  case 
in  that  manner?  " 

Quincy  allowed  himself  a  smile  at  Lamson's  ex- 
pense before  proceeding.  "  You  are  merely  the  vic- 
tim of  circumstances,  Lamson;  but  that  was  not 
what  I  intended  to  tell  you.  I  wish  to  warn  you 
that  you  are  to  receive  still  more  notoriety  because 
this  case  is  about  to  produce  one  of  the  greatest 
sensations  the  press  has  had  for  years." 

Lamson  paled  at  the  words,  and  his  agitation  in- 
creased perceptibly.  "  You  don't  mean,"  he  stam- 
mered, "  that  you  suspect  me  of  the  murder?" 

"  Oh,  no,  Lamson,  great  Scott,  no !  "  Quincy  ha- 
stened to  assure  him.  "  I  have  the  murderer,  and 
he  has  confessed.  I  merely  wished  to  warn  you  that 
Mrs.  Buck,  regardless  of  her  own  identity,  will  still 
continue  in  the  eyes  of  the  public  to  be  Lamson's 
cook,  and  as  such  she  will  be  handled  by  the  press. 
But  sit  down,  man,  nobody  suspects  you.  I'll  tell 
you  my  story  at  once,  so  that  your  mind  may  be 


248  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

placed  at  rest  in  that  direction  at  least.  You  know 
of  the  photographs  which  I  discovered  before  going 
to  Gloucester?"  he  inquired,  turning  toward  the 
chief. 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Lamson  told  me  of  them,"  the  chief 
informed  him. 

"  Very  well,  then,  I  wished  you  to  know  of  them 
before  telling  my  story,  because  I  desire  you  to  be 
in  possession  of  the  several  clues  which  led  me  to 
Gloucester.  As  you  are  aware,  one  of  those  pictures 
showed  the  wharf  of  the  Bay  State  Codfish  Com- 
pany. Now,  Chief,  remember.  Do  you  not  recall 
that  the  knife  with  which  the  murder  was  committed 
was  stamped  on  the  hilt  with  the  letters  '  B.  S.  C. 
Co.  ? '  From  that  fact  I  argued  that  the  person 
connected  with  the  Bay  State  Codfish  Company  in 
whom  Mrs.  Buck  was  interested  years  ago  must  still 
be  there,  and  that  Gloucester  was  the  spot  which  I 
must  search  for  the  murderer.  As  I  said  before, 
I  found  him ;  but  in  order  to  place  you  -thoroughly 
in  possession  of  the  facts  I  am  going  to  retrogress 
twelve  years  and  begin  my  story  at  that  point.  The 
discovery  of  the  man  after  I  reached  Gloucester  was 
a  very  simple  act,  so  simple  as  to  hardly  be  worthy 
of  recognition  in  the  story,  while  his  confession  fol- 
lowed almost  as  a  matter  of  course.  He  is  at  pres- 
ent being  held  by  the  Gloucester  police.  I  recognized 
him,  Lamson,  from  his  photograph.  He  is  the  man 


LAMSON'S  COOK  249 

on  the  right  of  that  sea  monster  in  the  third  picture ; 
he  also  appears  in  the  second  photograph  and,  as 
the  other  does  not,  I  naturally  settled  on  him  at  once 
as  the  man  whom  I  desired  to  find. 

"  But  now  for  the  story.  Twelve  years  ago  Amos 
Buck  and  his  shrewish  wife,  Elizabeth,  —  your  cook, 
Lamson,  —  lived  in  a  small  cottage  at  the  far  end 
of  the  Gloucester  water-front.  Amos  was  a  trawler 
in  the  employ  of  the  Bay  State  Codfish  Company 
and,  being  a  steady,  temperate  man,  was  regarded 
by  the  heads  of  hi-s  department  as  being  one  of  their 
most  reliable  employees.  But  in  his  case,  as  in  that 
of  every  other  man,  his  home  environment  played 
a  great  part  in  the  matter  of  his  value  to  his  em- 
ployers. His  wife's  shrewish  nature  developed,  and 
her  constant  nagging  eventually  began  to  play  its 
part  in  his  ultimate  downfall,  the  result  being  that 
he  finally  became  a  steady  patron  of  the  nearest 
groggery,  and  it  appeared  that  his  complete  degen- 
eration would  be  merely  a  matter  of  time.  Daily 
indulgence  soon  became  protracted  into  sprees  of  a 
week's  duration,  and  Mrs.  Buck  became  more 
vituperative  than  ever. 

"  Then  another  link  in  the  peculiar  chain  of  cir- 
cumstances was  forged.  Amos  brought  to  his  home 
a  widowed  cousin,  Emma  Bray  by  name,  and  in- 
sisted upon  her  taking  up  her  permanent  residence 
with  himself  and  his  wife.  Mrs.  Bray  greatly  re- 


250  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

sembled  Mrs.  Buck  in  figure,  although  their  fea- 
tures were  vastly  dissimilar,  and  their  dispositions 
were  as  far  separated  as  the  poles.  The  cousin 
proved  to  be  a  pleasant,  even-tempered  woman,  and 
she  showed  every  desire  to  alleviate  the  constant 
friction  between  Buck  and  his  wife. 

"  Her  attempts  at  intervention  only  added  to 
Mrs.  Buck's  fury,  and  within  a  few  weeks  Mrs. 
Buck  had  developed  a  hatred  for  both  her  husband 
and  his  cousin  that  was  almost  inhuman  in  its  in- 
tensity. The  demeanour  of  his  wife  at  last  had  its 
effect  on  Buck  himself,  and,  instead  of  meekly  sub- 
mitting to  her  verbal  assaults,  as  he  had  done  in 
the  past,  he  soon  commenced  to  reply  in  kind,  with 
the  result  that  the  house  became  a  veritable  inferno. 
This  continued  until  one  day  Buck's  temper,  grown 
ragged  from  the  constant  warfare,  gave  way  entirely 
and  he  struck  his  wife,  knocking  her  down.  Then, 
overcome  by  the  deed,  and  by  the  scenes  which  had 
led  up  to  it,  he  rushed  from  the  house  to  his  favour- 
ite haunt  in  a  cheap  saloon. 

"  Although  naturally  a  reticent  man,  his  tongue 
soon  became  loosened  by  liquor  and,  when  one  of 
his  associates  pointed  to  a  fresh  cut  on  the  side  of 
Buck's  head,  inquiring  as  to  its  origin,  he  replied 
that  his  wife  had  made  it,  but  that  he  had  fixed  her 
so  she  wouldn't  do  it  again.  The  savage  look  with 
which  he  accompanied  the  words,  and  the  dark  hint 


LAMSON'S  COOK  251 

which  seemed  to  be  contained  in  them,  caused  the 
speech  to  be  remembered.  Shortly  afterward  Buck 
purchased  a  quart  of  raw  rum  and  disappeared,  go- 
ing nobody  knew  where. 

"  The  next  morning  he  was  aroused  by  the  chief 
of  police  from  the  drunken  slumber  into  which  he 
had  sunk  behind  the  sheltering  piles  of  a  lumber 
wharf.  The  rough  handling  by  the  chief,  together 
with  the  black  looks  and  muttered  threats  of  the 
small  body  of  men  who  accompanied  him,  com- 
pletely sobered  Buck,  and  he  demanded  the  reason 
of  his  arrest.  The  reply  was  unsatisfactory,  being 
merely  a  gruff,  *  Guess  you  know/  from  the  chief, 
and  a  volley  of  threats  from  the  crowd,  which  was 
constantly  growing  larger. 

"  To  Buck's  surprise  he  was  taken  directly  to  his 
own  house  and,  when  led  indoors,  the  last  trace  of 
liquor  was  driven  out  of  him,  and  his  surprise  was 
turned  to  horror.  The  main  room  of  the  cottage 
was  indeed  in  a  terrible  state,  its  floor  and  walls 
being  covered  with  blood,  its  meagre  furnishings 
broken  and  scattered,  and  its  every  appearance  be- 
ing as  if  a  terrific  battle  had  been  waged  within  it. 
To  make  the  nature  of  the  crime  which  had  been 
committed  doubly  sure,  a  blood-stained  axe  lay  at 
one  side  of  the  room,  where  it  had  evidently  been 
thrown  by  the  fleeing  murderer.  But,  whatever 
hopes  the  chief  may  have  had  of  securing  a  confes- 


252  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

sion  from  Buck  by  taking  him  to  the  place  were 
speedily  dashed,  for  Buck,  instead  of  breaking 
down,  appeared  too  utterly  stupefied  by  the  scene  for 
speech  of  any  kind. 

"  No  trace  of  either  woman  had  been  found,  and 
there  was  consequently  nothing  to  do  save  to  hold 
Buck  on  suspicion  while  the  search  for  the  bodies 
was  being  conducted.  The  search  speedily  bore 
fruit,  for,  within  an  hour  of  Buck's  arrest,  the  body 
of  a  woman  was  found  floating  in  the  harbour. 
The  features  had  been  obliterated,  being  so  badly 
hacked  and  battered  as  to  make  recognition  impos- 
sible, but  the  clothing  on  the  body  was  speedily 
identified  as  being  that  of  Mrs.  Buck.  As  no  trace 
of  the  cousin  was  found  it  was  decided  that  her 
body  must  have  floated  out  to  sea  on  the  tide,  and 
Buck  was  held,  charged  with  the  murder  of  both 
women. 

"At  the  trial  circumstantial  evidence  figured 
strongly  in  securing  Buck's  conviction,  but  there 
was  also  a  beautiful  train  of  circumstantial  evidence 
in  his  favour.  He  pointed  out  that  no  blood-stains 
had  been  found  on  his  clothing,  and  defied  the  pros- 
ecution to  demonstrate  a  way  in  which  he  could 
have  hacked  a  body  as  his  wife's  had  been  mangled 
and  then  have  conveyed  it  to  the  water  without 
having  become  stained  with  blood.  He  also  showed 
a  streak  of  genius  by  defying  the  police  to  show 


LAMSON'S  COOK  253 

conclusively  that  his  cousin,  Emma  Bray,  was  really 
dead,  as  no  trace  of  her  body  had  been  found.  This 
part  of  the  indictment  was  shortly  dropped,  and  he 
stood  accused  of  only  the  one  murder,  that  of  his 
wife. 

"  Of  course  his  rash  words  in  the  saloon  played 
an  important  part  against  him,  but  in  his  favour  was 
the  absence  of  blood-stains  upon  him  and  that  fact, 
together  with  his  drunkenness  and  the  well-known 
frequency  with  which  his  wife  had  assaulted  him, 
both  orally  and  physically,  saved  him  from  execu- 
tion. He  was,  however,  convicted  of  murder  in  the 
second  degree,  and  sentenced  to  imprisonment  for 
life;  but,  even  after  Buck  had  been  imprisoned, 
there  remained  many  people  who  did  not  believe  him 
guilty  of  the  crime.  Consequently,  after  he  had 
served  a  term  of  years,  a  movement  was  set  on  foot 
to  have  him  pardoned,  the  movement  being  eventu- 
ally successful. 

"  After  his  release  Buck  returned  to  Gloucester 
and  quietly  resumed  his  old  life,  taking  up  his  resi- 
dence in  his  former  home  and  again  entering  the 
employ  of  the  Bay  State  Codfish  Company.  For 
two  years  he  lived  quietly  and  then,  like  a  sudden 
thunderclap,  came  a  piece  of  news  which  entirely 
upset  his  every  thought.  An  associate  came  to  him, 
giving  him  positive  assurance  that  he  had  seen  Mrs. 
Buck  in  Beverly,  and  had  been  told  that  she  was 


254  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

employed  by  a  rich  man  as  a  cook.  For  days  Buck 
brooded  over  that  information,  striving  to  make 
himself  realize  that  he  had  not  only  been  sent  to 
prison  for  a  crime  which  he  had  never  committed, 
but  also  for  one  which,  possibly,  had  never  been 
committed  at  all. 

"  At  last  he  could  stand  the  strain  no  longer,  and 
so  set  out  one  night  for  Beverly,  to  prove  for  him- 
self the  truth  or  falsity  of  the  weird  rumour.  Be- 
fore starting,  moved  by  some  instinct  which  even 
he  himself  cannot  define,  he  secreted  one  of 
the  company's  knives  in  his  coat,  giving  it  no 
more  thought  after  his  departure  from  Glouces- 
ter. 

"  On  his  arrival  in  Beverly  he  had  no  difficulty  in 
locating  Lamson's  estate  and,  proceeding  here  at 
once,  he  slipped  about  in  the  darkness,  searching 
for  the  woman  who  might  or  might  not  prove  to  be 
his  wife.  He  soon  stumbled  on  the  cook's  cottage, 
and,  peering  through  one  of  the  lighted  windows, 
he  was  able  to  clearly  view  the  woman  within  and 
his  feelings  cannot  be  described  when  he  realized 
that  she  was  indeed  his  wife.  Overcome  by  a  blind, 
insensate  fury,  he  made  his  way  quickly  to  the  front 
of  the  house,  burst  open  the  door,  and  confronted 
her. 

"  According  to  his  story  the  woman  showed  no 
surprise  at  seeing  him,  but  merely  sat  staring  into 


"  PEERING  THROUGH  ONE    OF    THE  LIGHTED  WINDOWS,  HE 
WAS  ABLE  TO  CLEARLY  VIEW  THE  WOMAN  WITHIN." 


LAMSON'S  COOK  255 

his  face  with  a  smile  of  contempt  on  her  lips.  She 
made  no  reply  when  he  accused  her  of  allowing  him 
to  be  falsely  imprisoned,  but  continued  to  gloat  over 
him  with  an  air  that  aroused  his  already  nearly  un- 
controllable fury  to  a  pitch  which  it  had  never 
hitherto  reached.  He  broke  into  savage  denuncia- 
tion of  her,  and,  at  last,  stung  her  into  replying  to 
his  charges.  To  his  intense  surprise  she  admitted 
them  to  be  true.  Not  only  that,  but  she  boastfully 
asserted  that  she  had  killed  his  cousin  out  of  re- 
venge, and  had  then  dressed  the  body  in  her  own 
clothes  to  throw  suspicion  on  him,  had  dragged  it 
into  the  water  and  had  then  fled  from  the  place  in 
disguise.  As  she  warmed  up  to  the  recital  she  added 
almost  fiendish  details,  and  through  it  all  she  con- 
tinued to  glory  in  her  own  success  and  Buck's  result- 
ing conviction. 

"  Naturally  such  a  scene  could  have  but  one  end- 
ing. Buck's  temper  became  more  and  more  savage 
and  at  the  conclusion  of  her  story  he  had  reached 
a  point  but  little,  if  anything,  short  of  insanity.  He 
told  her  he  was  going  to  kill  her  and  that  he  would 
be  justified  in  the  act.  The  announcement  sobered 
her  and  silenced  her  tongue ;  but,  instead  of  scream- 
ing for  help  as  he  had  expected  her  to  do,  she 
launched  herself  fiercely  at  his  throat.  You  know 
the  result.  The  struggle  was  short-lived,  and  at  its 
conclusion  Buck  hurried  from  the  place,  making  his 


256  LAMSON'S  COOK 

way  immediately  back  to  Gloucester,  where  I  found 
him. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,"  and  with  the  words  Quincy 
straightened  impressively,  "  now  we  come  to  the 
sensational  part  of  the  whole  affair.  The  question 
to  be  decided,  and  it  is  an  important  one,  is :  Can 
Buck  be  punished  for  the  murder? 

11  At  first  glance  the  natural  reply  would  be  that 
he  can;  but,  can  he?  Can  the  courts  touch  him  in 
any  way?  When  a  man  is  tried  and  acquitted  he 
cannot  again  be  brought  to  trial  for  the  same  of- 
fence, even  though  it  may  afterward  be  shown  con- 
clusively that  he  is  guilty.  Therefore,  can  Buck  be 
twice  punished  for  the  same  offence?  He  has  al- 
ready paid  the  penalty,  has  paid  in  advance,  so  to 
speak,  for  the  privilege  of  killing  his  wife.  He  was 
convicted  when  innocent,  and,  now  that  he  is  guilty, 
can  he  be  again  convicted  of  the  same  crime  for 
which  he  has  already  paid  the  penalty  which  was 
legally  demanded  of  him? 

"  I  freely  admit,  gentlemen,  that  it  is  a  question 
which  I  cannot  answer,  and  you  may  rest  assured 
that  the  press  will  eagerly  await  the  decision  of  the 
Supreme  Court  if  it  is  considered  necessary  to  carry 
the  matter  that  far." 


VI 

THE   AFFAIR   OF   THE   PLYMOUTH    RECLUSE 

THE  door  of  Quincy's  office  was  presided  over  by 
no  two-headed  Cerberus,  and  consequently  it  was 
possible  for  almost  anybody  to  gain  admittance  at 
almost  any  time.  Thus  it  was  no  surprise  to  Quincy 
when,  glancing  up  through  the  smoke  of  his  first 
cigar  of  the  day,  he  discovered  an  early-morning 
caller  standing  in  his  doorway. 

"  Mr.  Sawyer?  "  inquired  the  stranger  politely. 

Quincy  replied  in  the  affirmative  and  indicated  a 
chair,  into  which  his  guest  sank  with  seeming  relief. 
"  I  have  come,"  said  the  man,  "  to  speak  with  you 
concerning  last  night's  murder." 

Quincy  arched  his  eyebrows  a  trifle.  "  I  have  not 
yet  had  time  to  read  the  papers  thoroughly,"  he  said ; 
"  but  it  is  highly  possible  that  there  have  been  sev- 
eral murders  in  one  place  or  another  during  the 
night.  Please  be  more  explicit." 

"  I  mean  the  Dobell  murder,"  the  stranger  sup- 
plemented promptly. 

"Oh,"  Quincy  replied.  "I  have  read  of  that 
case,  at  any  rate.  The  murdered  man  was  Sidney 
267 


258  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

Dobell  of  Plymouth.  His  body  was  found  last  eve- 
ning hanging  from  a  tree  back  of  his  house,  but  the 
discovery  was  made  so  late  that  the  papers  have 
given  but  a  brief  summary  of  the  case  and  have 
suggested  no  clues." 

"  True,"  said  the  stranger,  "  and  I  have  come  to 
make  arrangements,  if  possible,  to  have  you  investi- 
gate the  case.  I  have  been  in  company  with  Dobell 
for  some  little  time,  of  late,  and  I  feel  that  I  may  be 
able  to  throw  some  light  on  the  case  where  nothing 
appears  evident  at  present. 

"  My  name  is  Frederick  Armitage  and  I  am  a 
mining  engineer,  having  been  for  several  years  past 
in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Dobell,  who  owned  a  mine  in- 
Montana.  Up  to  a  short  time  ago  I  knew  nothing 
whatever  of  him  personally,  and  had,  in  fact,  never 
seen  him,  as  our  business  had  always  been  transacted 
by  correspondence.  At  the  time  where  my  story  be- 
gins, however,  the  mine,  as  we  say,  ran  out ;  that  -is, 
the  vein  we  were  working  became  exhausted  and 
failed  to  pay  running  expenses.  On  account  of  gen- 
eral indications,  however,  I  was  certain  that,  by  sink- 
ing a  shaft  in  another  portion  of  the  property,  we 
should  strike  a  new  vein.  Consequently  I  wrote  Mr. 
Dobell,  telling  him  of  this  fact. 

"  Now,  in  order  to  better  acquaint  you  with  this 
case  as  it  will  develop,  I  must  go  back  a  bit  and  tell 
you  something  about  Sidney  Dobell  himself,  or,  at 


THE  PLYMOUTH  RECLUSE  259 

least,  as  much  about  him  as  I  know.  He  was  a  man 
of  about  fifty,  unmarried  and  a  recluse  in  his  habits. 
He  lived  in  an  isolated  house  in  Plymouth,  the  house 
being  completely  hidden  by  a  large  grove  of  trees, 
which  Dobell  allowed  to  grow  in  their  natural  state, 
and  with  never  a  thought  of  pruning  or  cultivating 
them.  With  him  lived  his  ward,  Miss  Ina  Traill,  not 
yet  quite  of  legal  age,  and  Dobell's  ward  since  her 
earliest  childhood.  Dobell's  fortune  was  very  small, 
and  he  had  never  put  it  to  any  use,  preferring  to  al- 
low it  to  lie,  and  living  on  the  small  income  which 
accrued  from  it.  Miss  Traill's  fortune,  on  the  other 
hand,  was  considerably  larger  than  his,  and  it  was 
really  her  money,  instead  of  Dobell's,  which  was  in- 
vested in  the  mine  in  Montana. 

"  Dobell  thought  a  great  deal  of  his  ward,  and, 
when  he  received  my  letter,  announcing  the  failure 
of  the  mine  unless  sufficient  money  could  be  secured 
to  finance  the  sinking  of  another  shaft,  he  became 
greatly  worried  for  fear  that  Miss  Traill's  fortune 
was  about  to  be  wiped  out.  He  hastily  secured  the 
cash  representing  his  own  fortune,  and  started  at 
once  for  Montana,  ready  to  sink  every  cent  he  pos- 
sessed in  the  effort  to  save  his  ward's  money.  His 
money  was  more  than  sufficient  for  the  purpose,  but, 
as  we  set  stakes  for  the  new  shaft,  we  encountered 
another  obstacle. 

"  The  land  next  to  our  mine  was  owned  by  two 


260  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

Italians,  brothers  named  Francisco  and  Leo  San- 
tuzzi.  When  they  discovered  what  we  were  about, 
they  came  up  post-haste,  claimed  that  we  were 
driving  stakes  in  their  land,  and  produced  a  map  to 
prove  their  statement.  According  to  their  map  we 
really  were  on  their  land,  but  according  to  mine, 
which  was  the  official  map  of  the  section,  the  pro- 
posed opening  was  well  within  our  own  boundaries. 
We  argued  the  question  for  some  time,  the  argu- 
ment growing  hotter  and  hotter,  for  Dobell,  much 
to  my  surprise,  proved  himself  to  be  a  regular 
fire-eater,  and  refused  to  withdraw  his  stakes  an 
inch. 

"  Then,  before  I  had  time  to  realize  what  was 
happening,  Leo  leaped  for  Dobell  with  a  knife  and, 
like  a  flash,  Dobell  drew  a  revolver  and  shot  the 
Italian  dead.  Of  course,  Dobell  was  arrested  by  the 
sheriff,  but  he  was  quickly  released,  as  it  was  easy 
to  prove  that  he  had  acted  in  self-defence.  For  some 
unaccountable  reason  the  news  of  the  fight  was 
spread  broadcast,  and  that  fact  seemed  to  have  a 
bad  effect  on  Dobell.  He  grew  melancholy  and 
wished  to  leave  the  country  as  soon  as  might  be  pos- 
sible. That  desire  became  strengthened  by  Fran- 
cisco, who  threatened  him  openly  and  swore  to  have 
his  life  in  payment  for  Leo's.  Then,  one  evening, 
somebody  shot  at  him,  and  that  proved  the  last 
straw.  He  left  the  next  day,  bringing  me  with  him, 


THE  PLYMOUTH  RECLUSE  261 

as  I  was  obliged  to  come  east  to  purchase  some  ma- 
chinery for  the  new  work. 

"  On  our  arrival  we  went  directly  to  his  house  in 
Plymouth,  and  there  I  made  my  headquarters  while 
I  was  looking  after  the  necessary  purchases,  run- 
ning up  to  Boston  daily  while  the  shipments  were 
being  made.  Yesterday  marked  the  end  of  the  third 
week  of  my  stay  in  Plymouth,  and  I  had  made  all 
arrangements  for  returning  west  today. 

"  Yesterday  morning  I  came  here  to  Boston  to 
look  after  a  few  final  details,  not  returning  to  Plym- 
outh until  late  in  the  evening.  I  walked  up  from 
the  station  to  the  house,  and  was  surprised  not  to 
find  Dobell  awaiting  me,  as  he  well  knew  that  there 
were  many  important  matters  to  be  discussed.  Miss 
Traill  was  there,  as  was  the  housekeeper ;  but  neither 
of  them  could  tell  me  anything  of  Dobell's  where- 
abouts. 

"  I  did  not  wait  for  him  to  return,  but  set  out  over 
his  favourite  walk  in  search  of  him,  carrying  a  lan- 
tern, as  it  was  very  dark  in  the  woods.  I  had  gone 
some  distance  into  the  woods  when  I  stumbled 
against  an  object  a  little  to  one  side  of  the  path  and, 
on  looking  up,  was  horrified  to  discover  that  it  was 
Dobell's  body,  suspended  by  the  neck  from  a  tree. 

"  I  immediately  started  to  take  the  body  down 
and,  finding  that  Dobell  was  unquestionably  dead,  I 
did  so  without  disturbing  the  rope,  which  still  hangs 


262  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

in  its  original  position.  And  now  comes  the  most 
significant  part  of  the  story.  That  rope  was  a  lariat 
such  as  cattlemen  use,  and  I  am  morally  certain  that 
Dobell  did  not  bring  any  such  rope  with  him  when 
we  came  back  from  the  west.  Therefore,  it  seems 
likely  to  me  that  Santuzzi  must  have  followed  us 
here,  watched  his  chance,  and  then  killed  Dobell  by 
means  of  the  lariat." 

As  the  man  paused  at  the  conclusion  of  his  story, 
Quincy  was  able  to  ask  his  first  question.  "  You 
know  nothing  whatever  of  Dobell's  former  his- 
tory?" 

Armitage  shook  his  head.  "  Nothing.  He  has 
never  told  me  a  word  concerning  himself  in  other 
than  a  business  way.  The  girl,  I  feel  certain,  knows 
little  or  nothing  of  his  history,  either.  What  his 
housekeeper,  Mrs.  Wilson,  or  his  man  of  all  work, 
known  as  Thomas,  may  know  I  cannot  say,  for  they 
are  as  silent  and  uncommunicative  as  he  always  was 
himself.  That  it  was  his  ward's  fortune  which  had 
been  invested  in  the  mine,  and  that  he  would  use  all 
means  in  his  possession  to  save  her  money,  he  told 
me  himself;  but,  outside  of  that  item,  he  has  never 
trusted  me  with  any  of  his  personal  history  or  busi- 
ness." 

"  Have  you  told  your  story  to  the  police?  "  Quincy 
inquired. 

"  Yes,  to  the  medical  examiner  and  to  the  state 


THE  PLYMOUTH  RECLUSE  263 

officer  who  has  been  detailed  on  the  case.  I  imagine 
that  the  state  officer  agrees  with  me  in  my  suspicion 
of  Santuzzi,  for  he  has  sent  telegrams  west  to  make 
inquiries  regarding  the  man's  recent  movements.  I 
wish  to  have  a  direct  representative  in  the  case  in 
addition  to  the  police,  though,  as  my  time  at  present 
is  valuable,  and  that  is  why  I  have  come  to  you. 
Will  you  take  it  up  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Quincy,  rising  and  slamming  down 
the  top  of  his  desk.  "  I  shall  take  it  up  immediately. 
How  soon  may  we  get  a  train  for  Plymouth  ?  " 

Armitage  consulted  his  watch.  "  In  fifteen 
minutes,  provided  we  can  reach  the  station  in  that 
time." 

The  Dobell  house  in  Plymouth  stood,  as  Armi- 
tage had  described,  in  the  midst  of  a  veritable  jungle 
of  trees  and  underbrush.  The  main  body  of  sur- 
rounding woodland  was  covered  with  pine  trees,  but 
the  woods  were  interspersed  by  numerous  small 
clearings,  all  of  which  were  heavily  overgrown  with 
bushes  and  young  trees.  The  almost  primeval  ap- 
pearance of  the  woodland  gave  to  the  house  an  air 
that  was  gloomy,  indeed,  while  the  appearance  of 
neglect  which  surrounded  it  on  every  side  added 
greatly  to  its  uninviting  aspect. 

The  interior  of  the  house  proved  to  be  little  more 
inviting  in  appearance  than  'its  exterior,  being  fur- 
nished in  a  style  of  many  years  ago,  and  with  house- 


264  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

hold  goods  that  were  rapidly  falling  into  decay. 
Nor  did  the  many  peculiarities  of  the  establishment 
fail  to  communicate  themselves  to  the  inmates,  as 
Quincy  soon  discovered. 

Miss  Traill  he  found  to  be  a  young  woman  of 
rather  careless  appearance,  who  gave  evidence  of 
possessing  a  naturally  charming  and  vivacious  per- 
sonality which  had  been  dwarfed  and  subdued  by 
her  surroundings.  That  she  was  grieved  at  her 
guardian's  death  was  evident;  but  her  features 
maintained  a  strict  impassivity  beneath  which  it  was 
impossible  to  look  in  any  effort  to  fathom  her 
thoughts.  Mrs.  Wilson,  the  housekeeper,  was  a 
middle-aged  woman  of  a  quiet  and  retiring  de- 
meanour, and  Quincy  passed  her  by  with  hardly 
more  than  a  glance.  But  on  Thomas,  the  man 
of  all  work,  he  focussed  his  attention  strongly. 
Thomas,  he  decid-ed,  was  entirely  out  of  his  ele- 
ment, and  what  mysterious  tie  held  the  man  in  the 
place  he  could  not,  for  the  time  being,  fathom.  The 
man's  quick,  piercing  eyes  betokened  anything  other 
than  a  staid  gardener  or  choreman,  his  bowed  legs 
argued  in  favour  of  a  familiarity  with  horses,  and 
his  lithe  movements  indicated  unusual  strength  and 
agility.  Thomas,  Quincy  decided,  would  bear  in- 
vestigation. 

Armitage  hurried  the  preliminary  introductions 
as  much  as  was  possible,  and  then  conducted  Quincy 


THE  PLYMOUTH  RECLUSE  265 

into  an  adjoining  room,  where  the  body  of  Sidney 
Dobell  lay.  As  they  entered,  a  man  rose  from  a 
chair  in  one  corner  and  came  toward  them,  another 
turning  at  the  same  time  from  his  position  at  the 
side  of  the  body. 

Armitage  greeted  the  first  man  quietly.  "  This," 
he  said,  turning  toward  Quincy,  "  is  Doctor  Hen- 
derson, the  medical  examiner  for  this  district." 

Quincy  glanced  at  the  notebook  in  the  doctor's 
hand,  while  acknowledging  the  introduction. 
"You  have  arrived  at  a  decision?"  he  inquired. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  the  doctor  replied.  "  It  is  a  clear 
case  of  murder,  by  person  or  persons  unknown,  of 
course.  The  proof  is  this:  the  body  was  found 
dangling  in  air  fully  fifteen  feet  from  the  limb  over 
which  the  rope  had  been  stretched.  Had  the  man 
dropped  all  that  distance,  as  would  have  been  neces- 
sary in  a  case  of  suicide,  his  neck  would  undoubtedly 
have  been  broken.  As  it  is,  he  died  from  strangula- 
tion, which  fact  plainly  proves  that  the  work  was 
done  by  other  parties,  namely  the  murderer,  or  mur- 
derers, as  the  case  may  be." 

Quincy  nodded  gravely,  and  glanced  question- 
ingly  in  the  direction  of  the  second  stranger  in  the 
room,  at  which  he  was  immediately  introduced  to 
State  Officer  Burr.  The  state  officer  regarded 
Quincy  with  suspicion  as  the  introduction  was  being 
made,  and  seemed  inclined  to  return  at  once  to  his 


266  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

work  without  commenting  on  the  case.  Quincy, 
however,  forestalled  that  purpose. 

"  I  see-that  you  have  a  strong  suspicion  as  to  the 
identity  of  the  criminal,"  he  remarked  casually. 

The  officer  turned  his  cold  eyes  full  on  Quincy 
for  several  seconds,  while  he  seemed  to  consider  the 
import  of  the  statement.  "  Well,  perhaps,"  he  at 
last  admitted,  grudgingly. 

Quincy  smiled  and  stepped  to  the  side  of  the  body, 
where  he  rapidly  ran  his  eyes  over  the  numerous 
minor  details  of  the  man's  clothing.  He  carefully 
examined  the  shoes,  going  over  them  with  minute 
care,  but  not  appearing  to  find  that  for  which  he 
sought.  He  then  raised  the  hands  and  commenced 
a  lengthy  investigation  of  their  palms,  seeming  in 
this  case  to  meet  with  success,  as  he  nodded  his  head 
slowly  at  the  close  of  the  scrutiny  and  finally  laid 
them  back  with  an  air  of  satisfaction.  He  then 
leaned  sharply  over  the  body,  and  withdrew  a  pin 
from  the  breast  of  the  coat. 

"  W'hat  was  fastened  there  ? "  he  demanded 
abruptly  of  Armitage  and  the  state  officer  collect- 
ively. 

The  state  officer  merely  shook  his  head  to  signify 
his  total  ignorance  of  the  matter,  while  Armitage's 
mouth  popped  open  with  astonishment.  "  Nothing, 
so  far  as  I  know,"  the  latter  replied,  fairly  stuttering 
with  astonishment.  "  Even  if  there  had  been  any- 


THE  PLYMOUTH  RECLUSE  267 

thing  there  I  was  so  excited  when  I  found  the 
body  that  I  would  not  have  noticed  anything  like 
that." 

"  How  did  you  bring  it  in,  —  drag  it?  "  was  the 
next  question. 

"  Well,  half  dragged  and  half  carried  it.  You 
see  he  wasn't  such  a  very  big  man." 

Quincy  appeared  satisfied  with  the  reply,  for  he 
returned  at  once  to  his  work  of  investigation  and 
his  next  question  was  addressed  to  the  medical  ex- 
aminer. 

"  Doctor,  why  do  you  suppose  Dobell  chose  this 
lonely  spot  for  a  place  of  abode  ?  " 

"  He  hated  people,"  was  the  doctor's  brief  reply. 
"  He  was  here  when  I  first  moved  to  this  vicinity, 
and  I  have  met  him  on  countless  occasions  since; 
but  never  have  I  known  him  to  directly  address  any 
person  of  the  village.  He  would  never  go  near  a 
man  if  he  could  possibly  avoid  a  meeting,  and,  even 
when  he  was  forced  into  interviews,  he  would  ter- 
minate them  as  quickly  as  he  might." 

"Do  you  think  he  was  insane?"  The  question 
was  asked  carelessly,  but  there  was  a  gleam  of  deep 
interest  in  Quincy's  eyes. 

"  No,  sir,"  the  doctor  replied  with  emphasis. 
"  There  was  nothing  insane  about  Sidney  Dobell. 
I  have  no  idea  as  to  his  reason  for  becoming  a  re- 
cluse ;  but  you  may  be  sure  that  the  reason  was  well 


268  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

formed  in  his  mind,  and  that  the  reason  was  not 
a  fanciful  one,  either." 

"  You  do  not  know  where  he  came  from,  I  sup- 
pose? " 

"  No,  I  have  no  idea,  nor  do  I  think  that  anybody 
in  this  neighbourhood  can  tell  you,  unless,  perhaps, 
it  might  be  some  member  of  his  household.  He 
appeared  suddenly,  bought  this  house,  fixed  it  up  to 
his  liking  and  retired  into  it,  remaining  here  ever 
since,  like  a  bear  hibernating  in  a  cave." 

"  He  must  have  been  fairly  familiar  with  fire- 
arms, Armitage,  to  be  able  to  draw  his  revolver 
and  shoot  Santuzzi  so  quickly.  Did  he  keep  in  prac- 
tice through  fear  of  some  secret  enemy  ?" 

"  Blessed  if  I  know,"  Armitage  replied  slowly. 
"  I  never  even  knew  that  he  carried  a  gun  until  he 
pulled  it  on  Santuzzi." 

"  I  never  knew  of  his  having  been  seen  with  a 
revolver  about  here,"  the  doctor  supplemented. 

Quincy  turned  away  and  thoughtfully  regarded 
the  body.  Dobell  was  a  man  of  small  stature  and 
with  a  frame  that  seemed  wasted,  either  by  disease 
or  hardship.  His  features  were  regular,  and  might 
once  have  been  rugged;  but  now,  not  only  did  the 
face  appear  to  be  wasted,  but  it  also  bore  indications 
of  weakness,  a  condition  which  appeared  to  be  more 
the  result  of  a  gradual  decline  than  of  natural 
origin.  Had  the  -man  hidden  himself  through  fear, 


THE  PLYMOUTH  RECLUSE  269 

he  wondered,  or  had  there  been  some  other  reason 
which  had  gradually  grown,  through  one  cause  or 
another,  into  a  chronic  state  of  fear?  At  last,  un- 
able as  yet  to  satisfactorily  answer  his  own  question, 
he  turned  away  and  addressed  Armitage. 

"  I  believe  I  shall  look  over  the  grounds  now, 
Armitage.  I  hardly  expect  that  anything  of  par- 
ticular advantage  is  to  be  gained  in  the  house/* 

"  You  will  be  near  at  hand,  will  you  not,  so  that 
we  may  call  you  in  case  we  receive  news  of  San- 
tuzzi  ?  "  the  doctor  interjected  quickly. 

Quincy  smiled  and  glanced  toward  Burr  as  he 
replied.  "  You  can  safely  put  Santuzzi  out  of  your 
thoughts,  Doctor.  He  had  no  hand  whatever  in  the 
killing  of  Dobell.  In  fact,  to  pursue  the  question 
a  little  farther,  I  think  I  can  safely  say  that  Dobell 
was  killed  by  a  member  of  his  own  household." 

"  You  mean  Thomas?"  the  doctor  gasped  in- 
credulously. 

Before  replying  Quincy  glanced  covertly  at  Burr, 
and  smiled  inwardly  as  he  beheld  the  state  officer 
staring  at  him  fixedly,  and  with  every  indication 
of  intense  interest  in  his  face. 

"  I  did  not  say  that  it  was  Thomas,"  Quincy  re- 
plied carelessly,  smiling  over  his  shoulder  as  he 
strode  out  of  the  room. 

"  Now,  Armitage,"  he  continued,  as  they  stood 
in  the  corridor,  "  I  want  first  to  see  the  spot  where 


270  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

Dobell's  body  was  discovered,  and  it  is  quite  prob- 
able that  I  may  want  to  see  a  few  other  things  after- 
ward, so  I  think  we  had  best  hurry." 

Armitage  immediately  led  the  way  to  the  spot 
where  the  body  had  been  found  and  where  the  lariat 
still  hung  in  mute  evidence  of  what  had  occurred. 
On  arriving  beneath  the  tree  Quincy  appeared,  for 
the  time  being,  to  forget  the  very  fact  of  Armitage's 
existence.  He  examined  the  ground  about  the  tree 
with  most  minute  care,  scrutinized  its  trunk  care- 
fully, and  at  last  climbed  into  it,  paying  particular 
attention  to  the  limb  across  which  the  rope  had  been 
stretched.  Finally,  he  tossed  the  rope  carelessly  to 
the  ground,  and  descended  after  it,  quietly  untying 
the  end  which  had  been  secured  about  the  trunk  of  a 
smaller  tree. 

"  Do  you  suppose  the  fellow  threw  this  rope  over 
Dobell's  head  while  standing  on  the  ground,  or  was 
he  sitting  up  in  that  tree  ?  "  he  inquired  of  Armitage. 

"  While  standing  on  the  ground,  I  should  say," 
Armitage  replied  promptly.  "  It  would  have  been 
too  dark  here  for  him  to  have  been  able  to  see  a 
man  passing,  had  he  been  sitting  up  there/' 

"  Hm.  Then  I  suppose  Dobell  calmly  sat  down, 
and  waited  while  the  fellow  threw  the  other  end  of 
the  rope  over  that  limb  and  tied  it  properly  to  this 
little  tree.  It  would  have  taken  considerable  time, 
you  know,  because  if  a  man  were  unable  to  see  an- 


THE  PLYMOUTH  RECLUSE  271 

other  man  from  that  limb  how  would  he  be  able  to 
see  the  limb  from  the  ground  ?  " 

Without  waiting  for  Armitage  to  formulate  a 
reply,  he  turned  away  and  fixed  his  attention  on  the 
path  by  which  they  had  come.  He  seemed  to  attach 
much  importance  to  whatever  it  was  he  expected  to 
find  there,  for,  with  the  utmost  care,  he  searched 
every  inch  of  the  ground  within  the  path  or  imme- 
diately adjoining  it.  At  last  his  search  appeared 
to  be  successful,  for  Armitage,  seated  some  distance 
away,  saw  him  pick  some  object  from  the  ground. 
He  examined  it  for  several  moments  and  then,  put- 
ting it  in  his  pocket,  he  turned  about  and  retraced 
his  steps  to  his  starting  point. 

"  What  sort  of  land  surrounds  these  woods  ?  " 
he  inquired  at  once. 

"  Swamp  land,"  was  Armitage's  reply.  "  The 
swamp  runs  along  the  edge  of  the  woods  on  every 
side  except  that  occupied  by  the  road.  I  know  the 
land  well  because  Dobell  and  I  frequently  went 
into  it  to  shoot  rail.  Is  there  any  particular  section 
of  it  that  you  wish  to  see?  " 

"  No,"  Quincy  said  thoughtfully,  "  I  do  not  care 
to  see  it.  Is  it  fairly  passable  for  a  person  walk- 
ing?" 

"  It  would  offer  a  safe,  but  not  particularly  pleas- 
ant passage,  yes." 

"  That  substantiates  my  theory  and  does  away 


272  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

witH  Santuzzi  to  a  great  extent/'  Quincy  remarked. 
"  It  is  hardly  probable  that  Santuzzi,  granting  that 
he  committed  the  murder,  would  h'ave  entered  the 
grounds  by  the  front  way,  even  at  night.  It  would 
be  more  likely  that,  having  accustomed  himself  by 
observation  to  Dobell's  habits,  he  would  have 
slipped  into  these  woods  through  the  swamp,  and 
have  awaited  the  coming  of  his  man.  He  could 
not  have  come  through  the  swamp  without  having 
gathered  up  a  greater  or  less  amount  of  mud  on 
his  shoes  and  clothing,  and  that  mud,  after  drying 
somewhat,  would  have  dropped  off.  There  are  no 
flakes  of  mud  lying  about  here  on  the  ground  nor 
has  any  been  scraped  off  on  that  tree  trunk.  There- 
fore, exit  Santuzzi  as  a  factor  in  this  case/' 

He  paused  for  some  time  and  considered  the 
affair  deeply,  standing  with  head  bowed  and  eyes 
fixed  thoughtfully  on  the  lariat.  Then  he  turned 
about  and,  signing  Armitage  to  follow  him,  made 
his  way  out  of  the  woods  and  in  the  direction  of 
the  house.  As  they  emerged  from  the  shadow  of 
the  trees  they  encountered  Thomas,  and  Quincy 
noted  a  sharp  gleam  of  interest  in  the  man's  eyes  as 
they  fell  on  the  lariat.  He  paused  and  stared  at 
Thomas  searchingly. 

"Did  you  ever  see  this  before?"  he  demanded, 
holding  up  the  lariat  for  the  man's  inspection. 

Thomas  regarded  him  coolly  and  stood  twisting 


THE  PLYMOUTH  RECLUSE  273 

his  heavy  moustache  a  few  seconds  before  replying. 
"  I  may  have,"  he  said  finally,  "  but  I  don't  keep 
track  of  all  the  ropes  in  the  county." 

"  Well,  you  don't  see  many  horsehair  ropes  in 
this  county,  do  you  ?  "  Quincy  snapped.  "  At  any 
rate,  I  have  little  doubt  but  that  you  can  imagine 
what  it  was  last  used  for." 

"  I  reckon  you  may  have  found  it,  out  here  a 
piece,  in  a  tree,"  Thomas  rejoined  with  an  inscru- 
table smile. 

"  Your  reckoning  is  good,"  Quincy  replied, 
matching  the  man's  smile  with  one  even  more  in- 
scrutable. "  I  wish  to  speak  with  this  man  privately, 
if  you  please,  Armitage,"  he  continued,  remaining 
silent  as  Armitage  passed  on  with  a  polite  bow. 

"  Thomas,"  he  said,  when  Armitage  had  passed 
out  of  hearing,  "  what  sort  of  a  central  figure  do 
you  expect  to  make  at  a  murder  trial  ?  " 

The  man's  calm  remained  unruffled,  and  he  con- 
tinued to  pull  meditatively  at  his  moustache.  "  I 
reckon  I'd  show  up  fairly  well,"  he  remarked.  "  It 
might  be  that  I'd  show  up  better  than  the  man  who 
jammed  me  into  that  position." 

Quincy  grinned  broadly,  for  the  very  nonchalance 
of  the  man  appealed  to  him  with  increasing 
strength.  "  You  realize,  of  course,  that  you  are 
the  one  man  who  can  throw  light  on  this  case,  so 
far  as  DobelTs  past  life  is  concerned,"  he  con* 


274  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

tinued.  "  Now,  why  should  you  continue  to  keep 
the  secret  buried?  Dobell  is  dead,  and  cannot  be 
injured  by  whatever  story  there  may  have  been  in 
his  past  life.  Your  telling  the  story  can  harm  no- 
body, while  your  keeping  silent  may  be  the  means 
of  fastening  the  crime  on  an  innocent  man." 

"  Why  so  ?  "  Thomas  demanded  coolly.  "  You 
detectives  are  so  doggoned  bright  that  you  should 
be  able  to  settle  a  small  matter  like  this  without  any 
help  of  mine." 

Quincy  ignored  the  sarcasm,  but  his  reply  brought 
a  sudden  gleam  of  interest  into  the  man's  eyes. 

"  Oh,  I  know  how  Dobell  came  to  his  death,"  he 
stated  with  conviction.  "  That  part  of  the  affair  is 
a  mystery  no  longer."  Then,  noting  an  expression 
of  mocking  incredulity  in  Thomas'  eyes,  he  bent 
forward  and  whispered  a  single  word  in  the  man's 
ear. 

In  an  instant  Thomas'  entire  attitude  changed, 
and  his  expression  of  mockery  gave  way  to  one  of 
deepening  respect.  "  I  reckon  I  may  as  well  tell 
you  what  there  is,"  he  remarked.  "  If  you  savvied 
the  other  thing  so  quick,  it  would  be  only  a  matter 
of  time  before  you  got  hold  of  the  whole  thing, 
anyway.  Come  into  the  house.  It  ain't  such  an 
awfully  complicated  affair,  when  you  get  right 
down  to  brass  tacks  on  it." 

Quincy  was  shortly  ushered  into  the  room  which 


THE  PLYMOUTH  RECLUSE  275 

had  done  duty  as  Dobell's  office  and,  when  within, 
Thomas,  with  the  air  of  one  perfectly  familiar  with 
the  place,  set  before  him  a  large  sheet-iron  strong 
box.  He  produced  a  key  and  flung  back  the  lid, 
exposing  to  view  a  heterogeneous  mass  of  papers 
and  note-books. 

"  There,"  he  said  with  gruff  satisfaction.  "  Sid 
told  me  that  if  anything  ever  happened  to  him  I  was 
to  show  this  stuff  to  the  man  I  considered  most  en- 
titled to  see  it.  I  reckon  you're  the  one.  Run 
through  it  all  you  please,  and,  if  you  happen  to 
want  me  for  anything,  I'll  be  around  the  place  here 
somewhere."  He  hesitated  a  moment,  as  though 
awaiting  possible  inquiries  from  Quincy,  but,  none 
being  made,  he  turned  on  his  heel  and  disappeared. 

For  two  hours  Quincy  busied  himself  with  the 
papers  and  note-books,  scanning  all  with  more  or 
less  interest  and  laying  several  aside  for  future 
reference.  At  last,  having  completed  his  examina- 
tion of  the  papers,  he  rose  in  a  leisurely  manner, 
and  snapped  the  lock  of  the  strong  box.  Then, 
taking  up  such  sheets  as  he  had  laid  aside,  he  wan- 
dered in  a  seemingly  aimless  fashion  out  of  the 
room  and  down-stairs  to  a  sheltered  corner  of  the 
piazza  where  he  sank  comfortably  back  to  smoke. 
After  a  time  the  medical  examiner  appeared  in  the 
doorway  and  gazed  at  him,  not  without  a  trace  of 
conscious  superiority. 


276  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"Thinking  over  the  case?"  he  inquired. 

"  No,"  Quincy  replied  easily.  "  The  case  is  all 
settled,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned." 

The  examiner  stared  incredulously.  "  You  mean 
that  you  have  discovered  the  murderer?"  he  de- 
manded. 

Quincy  thoughtfully  blew  a  smoke  ring,  and 
watched  it  disappear.  "  Yes,  I've  found  the  mur- 
derer —  and  a  few  other  things,"  he  remarked 
cryptically. 

The  examiner  was  silent  for  a  moment,  and  then 
he  advanced  his  choicest  bit  of  information.  "  Of- 
ficer Burr  has  found  the  murderer,  also,  and  has 
him  up-stairs,"  he  announced. 

Quincy  started  abruptly.  "  Has  him  up-stairs !  " 
he  exclaimed.  "  The  deuce  he  has !  Why  the 
blundering  —  "  He  interrupted  himself  to  laugh 
heartily  at  some  huge  joke,  which  was  utterly  lost 
on  the  examiner. 

"  I  don't  see  anything  so  strikingly  funny,"  the 
latter  interrupted,  pointedly.  "  Officer  Burr  has  the 
murderer  up-stairs,  and  sent  me  down  here  to  in- 
vite you  up.  He  thought  you  might  be  interested 
in  hearing  the  examination  and  a  tracing  of  the 
final  steps  in  the  case." 

"  Oh,  I  should  be,"  Quincy  muttered  incoher- 
ently, rising  to  his  feet.  "  I  shall  be  most  inter- 
ested and  attentive.  If  he  has  succeeded  in  pen- 


THE  PLYMOUTH  RECLUSE  277 

ning  the  murderer  up,  he  has  done  a  piece  of  work 
that  will  be  well  worth  the  careful  attention  of  any 
man." 

The  examiner  regarded  him  with  cold  disfavour, 
but  said  nothing  as  he  led  the  way  slowly  up-stairs 
to  a  large  room  where,  as  Quincy  entered,  it  seemed 
that  the  entire  household  had  been  assembled. 
Thomas  grinned  cynically  in  a  corner,  and  tugged 
at  his  moustache,  as  was  his  inevitable  custom. 
Miss  Traill  sat  coldly  indifferent  to  her  surround- 
ings, and  stared  silently  at  the  ceiling;  but  Quincy 
noted  that  her  face  was  pale  and  that  her  hands 
trembled.  The  crowning  exhibit,  however,  was 
Armitage,  who  was  perched  on  the  edge  of  the 
centre  table,  and,  to  judge  from  his  red  face 
and  flaming  eyes,  was  suppressing  with  diffi- 
culty a  desire  to  wax  overwhelmingly  pro- 
fane. 

Quincy  said  nothing  as  he  entered,  limiting  his 
inquiries  to  a  mute  glance  of  question  which  he 
directed  toward  Officer  Burr.  The  officer,  puffed 
with  importance,  motioned  toward  a  chair  with  con- 
descending politeness,  and  Quincy  silently  assumed 
the  position  assigned  to  him. 

"  You  will  undoubtedly  be  interested  to  know, 
Mr.  Sawyer,"  the  officer  announced  ponderously, 
"  that  I  have  succeeded  in  sifting  this  matter  out, 
and  have  settled  on  the  guilty  persons." 


278  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

Quincy  nodded  respectfully,  and  elevated  his  eye- 
brows with  an  air  of  polite  interrogation. 

"  Yes,"  the  officer  continued,  "  I  have  appre- 
hended them  and  I  thought  that,  before  going  into 
details,  I  would  invite  you  up,  as  you  will  undoubt- 
edly be  interested  in  learning  my  methods  of  pro- 
cedure. These  persons,"  and  a  wide  sweep  of  his 
hand  included  everybody  in  the  room,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Quincy  and  the  examiner,  "  are  the 
criminals/' 

Quincy  gazed  solemnly  at  the  accused  trio.  "  It 
required  an  unusual  number  of  them  to  do  the  work, 
don't  you  think  ?  "  he  inquired  meekly. 

"  No,"  Burr  replied,  proceeding  briskly  with  his 
remarks.  "  Two  of  them  are  merely  accomplices. 
Only  one,  the  ex-cow  puncher,  did  the  actual  work. 
It's  very  simple,  you  see.  That  man,  Armitage, 
knew  the  value  of  Dobell's  mine,  while  the  woman 
was  well  acquainted  with  his  personal  affairs  and 
his  financial  standing.  They  wanted  to  get  him  out 
of  the  way.  Perhaps  they  intended  to  be  married 
with  the  proceeds  of  their  crime,  or  it  may  be  that 
the  three  would  merely  have  divided  the  money  be- 
tween them.  It  is  probable,  also,  that  the  woman 
may  have  had  personal  reasons  for  wishing  Dobell 
removed.  I  have  not  learned  that,  as  yet.  You 
will  notice,  however,  that  she  wears  a  wedding 
ring." 


THE  PLYMOUTH  RECLUSE  279 

"  Confound  you,  sir,"  Armitage  roared,  leaping 
from  his  seat  on  the  table  and  facing  Burr.  "  Miss 
Traill  has  already  told  you  that  the  ring  was  her 
mother's  and  that  she  wears  it  out  of  sentiment. 
She  and  I  have  absolutely  no  —  " 

"  That  will  do,"  Burr  yelled,  advancing  on  Ar- 
mitage in  a  threatening  manner.  "  You  are  further 
incriminating  yourself  every  time  you  open  your 
mouth.  Sit  down,  or  take  the  consequences." 

Instead  of  dropping  quietly  back  into  his  chair 
Armitage  seemed  to  welcome  the  "  consequences," 
whatever  they  might  be.  Seizing  the  hand  which 
Burr  had  thrust  truculently  against  his  breast,  he 
whirled  the  astonished  officer  about  and  sent  him 
reeling  against  the  table.  With  a  vicious  growl 
Burr  was  back  again  almost  at  once,  his  fists  swing- 
ing and  the  light  of  battle  in  his  eyes.  As  soon  as 
he  came  within  reach  of  the  engineer,  one  fist  shot 
out,  only  to  be  lightly  parried  by  Armitage,  who  re- 
plied in  kind  with  a  blow  that  floored  Burr  in  a 
most  decisive  manner. 

"If  you  want  to  fight,"  he  growled,  "  I'm  ready 
for  you/' 

Before  the  conflict  could  be  continued,  however, 
Quincy  had  seized  Armitage  and  forced  him  more 
or  less  gently  into  the  corner  beside  Thomas,  who 
sat  grinning  with  delight  at  the  discomfiture  of 
Burr. 


280  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  Be  quiet,  you  fool,"  Quincy  growled.  "  Do  you 
want  to  ruin  yourself  entirely?" 

At  a  sign  from  Quincy,  Thomas  coolly  reached 
out  a  powerful  hand,  and  closed  over  Armitage's 
coat  with  a  grasp  that  could  not  be  broken,  an  as- 
surance that  further  hostilities  of  a  like  nature 
would  not  be  resumed. 

"  Your  decision  in  this  case  has  been  reached,  of 
course,  after  your  having  accepted  as  a  fact  the 
probability  that  Dobell  was  murdered,  was  it  not, 
sir  ?  "  Quincy  inquired  of  Burr,  after  the  latter  had 
somewhat  regained  his  composure. 

Burr  stared  at  him  as  though  unable  to  compre- 
hend the  reason  for  the  question.  "  Such  was  most 
assuredly  my  conclusion,"  he  replied. 

"  Well,  but  he  wasn't  murdered,  you  know," 
Quincy  continued  meekly. 

At  the  words  all  present  seemed  too  startled  for 
immediate  response,  contenting  themselves  with 
merely  staring  in  Quincy's  direction  as  though 
doubtful  of  his  sanity. 

"  By  what  reason  do  you  make  any  such  remark- 
able statement  as  that  ?  "  Burr  demanded,  finally, 
in  a  tone  of  angry  disgust.  "  You  admitted  your- 
self earlier  in  the  day  that  he  was  killed  by  a  mem- 
ber of  his  own  household." 

"  And  so  he  was,"  Quincy  persisted  with  quiet 
assurance.  "  He  was  killed  by  a  member  of 


THE  PLYMOUTH  RECLUSE  281 

his  own  -household,  because  he  committed  sui- 
cide." 

Burr  snorted  angrily.  "  That's  a  likely  conclu- 
sion," he  snarled.  "  Didn't  the  doctor  say  that  he 
couldn't  have  committed  suicide  because,  if  he  had 
dropped  all  that  distance,  his  neck  would  have  been 
broken?  " 

"  Yes,  I  know  he  did,"  Quincy  retorted ;  "  but  I 
shall  disprove  his  statement  in  good  time.  First, 
however,  I  want  to  go  into  Dobell's  history  a  bit. 
As  nobody  here,  with  the  exception  of  Thomas,  is 
probably  aware,  Dobell  began  life  as  a  rancher  in 
the  West.  He  lived  on  his  cattle  ranch  with  his 
partner,  who  was  Thomas,  and  his  sister,  Miss 
Traill's  mother.  His  sister  was  married  from  his 
ranch  to  another  rancher  named  Jack  Traill,  and 
with  him  she  lived  for  about  two  years.  Their 
daughter  was  born  and  shortly  afterward  Traill  de- 
generated from  an  honest  rancher  to  a  cut-throat 
and  a  drunken  outlaw. 

"  He  took  to  abusing  his  wife  in  a  most  shame- 
ful manner  until  she,  unable  to  bear  his  abuse  longer, 
took  refuge  with  her  brother  and  his  partner. 
Traill  followed  her  to  the  ranch  in  one  of  his 
drunken  spells,  and  ordered  her  to  return  home  with 
him,  and  her  refusal  to  do  so  led  to  a  fight  between 
Dobell  and  Traill,  during  the  progress  of  which 
Dobell  shot  and  killed  his  brother-in-law.  His 


282  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

sister  then  took  up  her  residence  at  his  ranch ;  but, 
when  her  daughter  was  less  than  two  years  of  age, 
she  died,  leaving  the  daughter  to  Dobell's  care. 

"  Dobell,  not  knowing  what  else  to  do,  came  East 
in  search  of  a  place  where  his  niece  could  receive 
a  proper  bringing  up,  and  his  partner  accompanied 
him.  They  bought  this  place  and  settled  down  here, 
Dobell  becoming  a  recluse  and  misanthrope,  while 
his  partner  was  looked  upon  as  merely  a  man  of  all 
work,  although  in  reality  he  was  operating  in  the 
Eastern  cattle  market.  As  time  went  on  Dobell  be- 
came seized  with  a  disease  which  gradually  wasted 
his  vitality,  and  reduced  him  from  a  once  strong 
man  to  a  cowardly,  fussy  invalid.  His  partner  re- 
mained with  him,  first  because  of  the  progress  he 
was  making  in  the  market,  and  later  through  loy- 
alty, not  wanting  to  desert  his  old  friend  in  the 
hour  of  his  need.  Thus  things  led  gradually  up  to 
the  present  climax,  when  Dobell,  unable  longer  to 
stand  the  strain  of  his  disease,  committed  suicide, 
with  what  results  you  already  know.  Thomas,  gen- 
tlemen, is  really  a  wealthy  man  and  a  skilful  stock 
operator.  His  presence  here,  in  the  capacity  which 
he  has  been  supposed  to  hold,  is  a  matter  which  only 
he  himself  can  explain,  and  I  doubt  if  he  will  con- 
sider it  necessary  to  do  so," 

"  A  very  pretty  story,"  Burr  sneered,  "  but  where 
is  your  proof  of  it." 


THE  PLYMOUTH  RECLUSE  283 

"  Right  here,"  Qtrincy  replied  with  unruffled  calm, 
laying  a  package  of  papers  on  the  table.  "  The 
story  of  Dobell's  past  life  will  be  found  in  these 
papers  as  I  have  related  it  in  brief.  You  may  read 
the  tale  when  you  please." 

"  But  you  are  not  through  yet/'  Burr  continued. 
"  Where  is  your  proof  that  Dobell  committed  sui- 
cide?" 

"  Oh,  as  for  that,"  Quincy  remarked  easily,  "  I 
established  that  fact  almost  immediately  after  my 
arrival  this  morning.  Here  are  the  steps  by  which 
I  proceeded. 

"  Now,  Burr,  if  you  were  going  to  murder  a  man 
by  hanging  him,  and  were  an  expert  in  the  use  of  a 
lariat,  you  would  have  the  choice  in  this  case  of  two 
positions  from  which  you  could  throw  your  rope. 
One  would  be  to  climb  a  tree  and  drop  the  noose 
over  your  -man's  head  as  he  walked  beneath;  but 
you  would  hardly  choose  the  darkness  of  a  dense 
wood,  at  night,  for  the  performance  of  the  feat. 
The  other  method  would  be  to  first  drape  your 
rope  across  a  limb,  leaving  plenty  of  slack,  and 
then  to  lasso  your  mail  from  the  ground;  but  in 
that  case  you  must  need  be  very  quick,  or  he  would 
escape  you  while  you  were  getting  rid  of  your  slack 
and  drawing  him  up. 

"  Now  Dobell  wasn't  caught  by  a  man  up  a  tree, 
because,  if  he  had  been,  the  man  would  have  tied 


284  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

his  rope  to  the  limb  from  which  Dobell  was  sus- 
pended. He  would  never  have  hauled  Dobell  clear 
of  the  ground,  held  him  swinging  in  the  air  until 
he  died,  lowered  the  body  to  the  earth,  climbed 
down  and  pulled  the  body  up  again,  tying  the  rope 
to  another  tree.  On  the  other  hand,  had  a  man 
thrown  the  rope  from  the  ground,  it  would  have 
been  necessary  for  him  to  have  pulled  the  body 
into  the  air,  and  a  rope  with  a  heavy  weight  sus- 
pended from  it  must  necessarily  have  left  a  mark 
on  the  bark  of  the  limb  as  it  was  drawn  across. 
There  was  no  such  mark. 

"  You  remember,  Armitage,  that  I  climbed  into 
the  tree  and  examined  the  limb  this  afternoon.  I 
wanted  to  see  if  its  bark  had  been  disturbed  in  any 
way.  I  found  that  it  had  been  scratched  off  in  several 
places,  which  showed  that  somebody  had  been  up 
there  previous  to  my  visit.  If  it  had  not  been  a 
murderer,  and  I  have  shown  that  it  could  not  have 
been,  then  who  was  it?  The  only  answer  is  that  it 
must  have  been  Dobell  himself.  Doctor  Henderson 
has  told  us  that  Dobell  could  not  have  dropped  that 
distance  without  breaking  his  neck.  Granted;  but 
he  could  have  used  the  rope  to  slide  down  on.  If 
you  will  examine  the  palms  of  his  hands  you  will 
find  on  each  a  shiny  groove  where  the  rope  wore 
the  skin  as  he  slid  down. 

"  You  will  remember  that  I  was  very  curious 


THE  PLYMOUTH  RECLUSE  285 

regarding  a  pin  which  I  found  in  Dobell's  coat.  I 
guessed  from  the  pin  that  there  must  have  been 
some  sort  of  a  message  fastened  to  that  particular 
spot.  The  pin  was  placed  in  such  a  position  that 
whatever  it  had  fastened  must  have  been  concealed 
by  the  lapel  of  his  coat.  That  shows  he  did  not 
intend  to  have  the  message  found  until  his  body  was 
brought  into  the  house.  Armitage,  however,  in 
bringing  the  body  here,  was  so  unfortunate  as  to 
lose  the  note.  I  found  it  this  afternoon  and  here 
it  is." 

He  produced  the  note  and  read  the  brief  message. 

"  DEAR  TOM  :  This  is  the  last.  I  can't  stand  this 
infernal  wasting  away  any  longer.  Take  the  girl 
out  of  that  hole  you're  living  in,  and  send  her  to  a 
good  school.  I've  left  her  my  money  and  you  can 
have  the  house,  to  live  in  or  to  burn  down,  which- 
ever you  please.  Good-bye.  —  SID." 

"  If  you  will  compare  the  writing  contained  in 
the  note  to  that  of  any  of  Dobell's  private  papers 
you  will  find  that  it  is  Dobell's,"  Quincy  stated  in 
conclusion. 

"  But  I  don't  fully  understand  yet,"  Burr  pro- 
tested in  bewilderment.  "  I  could  have  sworn  that 
my  evidence  was  correct." 

"  My  dear  Burr,"  Quincy  stated,  "  by  a  peculiar 


286  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

coincidence  there  were  two  complete  sets  of  evi- 
dence in  this  case,  one  leading  to  a  false  theory 
and  one  to  the  true.  You  chanced  to  follow  the 
false  clue.  The  whole  affair  merely  furnishes  an- 
other case  where  things  are  not  what  they  seem." 


VII 

THE   AFFAIR   OF    WILLIAM    BAIRD,    P.  B. 

QUINCY  rose  lazily  and  took  the  card  which  the 
doorboy  handed  in.  "  Thomas  Selfridge,"  he  read, 
glancing  up  to  face  the  client  who  appeared  almost 
on  the  heels  of  the  boy.  The  man,  he  noted,  was 
slender,  and  was  well-dressed,  almost  to  the  point 
of  fastidiousness,  which,  together  with  his  gold- 
rimmed  spectacles,  gave  him  the  appearance  of  a 
scholar,  although  his  twinkling  eyes  and  the  hu- 
mourous curves  of  his  mouth  belied  any  supposi- 
tion that  he  might  be  a  "  bookworm." 

"  In  what  way  can  I  serve  you,  Mr.  Selfridge?" 
Quincy  inquired,  shoving  forward  a  chair. 

The  man  quietly  removed  his  gloves  and  seated 
himself  before  replying.  Then,  turning  his  twin- 
kling eyes  fully  on  Quincy,  he  replied  smilingly : 
"  By  catching  a  burglar  for  me." 

Quincy  nodded  gravely.  "  I  had  surmised  some- 
thing of  that  nature.  Now,  if  you  will  tell  me  your 
story,  we  shall,  perhaps,  be  able  to  secure  your 
man." 

287 


288  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  Well,  Mr.  Sawyer,  the  story  was  brief  and 
simple  enough  to  begin  with;  but  I  meddled  with 
the  affair,  and  the  result  is  that  the  story  is  now 
considerably  longer,  and  no  benefit  has  been  derived 
through  its  lengthening.  My  wife  and  I  live  on 
Commonwealth  Avenue  with  our  three  servants. 
We  are  both  very  fond  of  travelling  and,  during 
our  numerous  trips,  we  have  gradually  acquired 
many  curios  and  strange  pieces  of  bric-a-brac,  some 
of  them  of  great  value  and  others  worth  little  save 
as  souvenirs  and  keepsakes.  With  these  things  we 
have  gradually  filled  our  home,  until  we  have  finally 
acquired  a  rather  large  collection,  being  drawn  by 
certain  sentimental  ties  to  almost  every  article  in 
our  small  museum. 

"  One  evening,  about  ten  days  ago,  we  received 
a  visit,  unheralded  and  unsolicited,  by  the  way,  and, 
as  we  knew  nothing  of  the  visitor  or  of  his  coming, 
we  were  naturally  surprised  the  following  morn- 
ing when  a  maid  discovered  that  several  of  our 
most  valuable  curios  were  missing.  A  hasty  search 
showed  that  our  loss  had  amounted  to  about  fifteen 
thousand  dollars,  and  an  additional  search  discov- 
ered this  strange  notice  on  the  library  table."  As 
he  finished  speaking  he  produced  what  appeared  to 
be  an  ordinary  calling  card  and  a  folded  slip  of 
paper,  silently  handing  both  to  Quincy. 

The  card,  neatly  engraved  on  bristol  board  of  the 


WILLIAM  BAIRD,  P.  B.  289 

regulation  size,  held  merely  the  legend :  "  William 
Baird,  P.  B." 

"  P.  B.,"  Quincy  mused.  "  That's  a  new  affix. 
Doesticks,  I  believe,  added  P.  B.  to  his  name ;  but 
he  translated  it  as  meaning  '  Perfect  Brick.'  " 

He  then  unfolded  the  slip  of  paper,  discovering 
that  it  was  a  form  of  printed  receipt,  reading : 

"  DEAR  SIR  OR  MADAM  :  Strictly  in  the  line  of  my 
profession  I  have  appropriated  certain  articles  which 
you  have  acquired  by  gift,  purchase  or  otherwise; 
but  which  I  now  hold  by  right  of  possession.  If  I 
have  taken  anything  to  which  sentimental  feelings 
are  attached,  or  about  which  hallowed  associations 
cling,  I  shall  be  pleased  to  return  the  entire  list  to 
you,  charges  prepaid,  upon  receipt  of  $5,000,  which 
amount  I  estimate  to  be  much  less  than  the  real 
value  of  the  articles. 

"  Address  all  communications  to  William  Baird, 
Esq.,  Providence,  R.  I.,  General  Delivery. 

"  P.  S.  Send  bills  only.  No  checks,  postal  or 
express  orders." 

The  words  "  Providence,  R.  I.,"  were  written  in 
a  blank  space  left  for  such  insertions. 

"He  appears  a  trifle  nervy,  doesn't  he?"  Self- 
ridge  remarked  with  a  dry  smile,  as  Quincy  finished 
reading. 


290  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  Yes  and  no,"  Quincy  replied  slowly.  "  At  first 
glance  this  little  printed  slip  with  its  address  would 
appear  decidedly  nervy,  but  is  it  really,  when  you 
stop  to  consider  the  matter?  The  address,  written 
in  a  blank,  shows  that  he  does  not  confine  his  ac- 
tivities to  any  one  locality,  and  the  chances  are, 
therefore,  that  he  has  been  playing  his  game  for 
some  time.  Taking  your  own  case  into  considera- 
tion, we  might  say  that  the  class  of  men  he  preys 
upon  are  wealthy  travellers  or  students.  If  they 
were  not  wealthy  they  could  not  afford  the  luxury 
of  such  valuable  collections.  Now,  the  sum  he  de- 
mands as  ransom  for  his  loot  is  comparatively 
small,  much  smaller,  from  your  own  computation, 
than  the  actual  value  of  the  articles  themselves. 
Consequently,  I  think  it  is  safe  to  argue  that  the 
ordinary  man,  of  the  type  preyed  upon,  would  much 
rather  pay  the  price  without  a  question  than  go  to 
the  trouble  of  hunting  down  the  thief,  and  running 
the  risk  of  newspaper  notoriety.  The  average  rich 
man,  particularly  if  he  is  of  the  class  of  scholars, 
hates  newspaper  notes  concerning  himself  worse 
than  he  hates  poison.  Thus,  it  may  safely  be  argued 
that  William  Baird  plies  his  trade  comparatively 
free  from  danger,  and  finds  it  also  a  trade  which 
brings  him  satisfactory  returns.  But  there  is  more 
of  your  story  to  be  told  yet,  I  believe." 

"  Yes,"  Self  ridge  admitted.     "  As  I  said  in  the 


WILLIAM  BAIRD,  P.  B.  291 

first  place,  I  meddled,  and  without  satisfactory  re- 
sults. You  argue  well  when  you  say  that  com- 
paratively few  collectors  would  hesitate  in  imme- 
diately complying  with  Baird's  demands,  rather 
than  to  contest  the  matter  with  him.  I  would  have 
sent  him  the  money  at  once  had  it  not  been  for  my 
wife.  She  is  of  the  old  Puritan  stock,  and  is  a  born 
fighter  when  she  thinks  that  her  rights  are  being 
transgressed.  I  talked  the  matter  over  with  her, 
and  we  decided  to  try  out  Mr.  Baird  and  see  if  we 
could  not  gain  some  clue  as  to  his  identity.  First 
I  sent  him  a  check  for  the  amount,  having  previ- 
ously arranged,  of  course,  that  the  bank  would  not 
honour  the  check.  My  reply  was  a  postal  from 
Providence,  which  read :  '  Read  the  P.  S.  on  your 
circular/ 

"  I  then  had  my  wife  write  a  letter  to  Baird, 
while  I  went  to  Providence  and  watched  the  General 
Delivery  window,  but  nobody  called  for  the  letter 
so  far  as  I  could  tell.  Finally  I  did  so  myself,  and 
the  clerk  told  me  there  was  nothing  for  William 
Baird.  The  question  that  then  confronted  me  was 
where  the  letter  had  disappeared,  in  Boston,  Provi- 
dence or  on  the  way.  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  a 
railway  mail  clerk,  had  another  letter  sent  on  his 
train,  and  paid  him  to  make  sure  that  it  reached 
Providence.  He  reported  to  me  by  telegraph,  after 
his  train  had  passed  through  the  city,  telling  me 


292  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

that  the  letter  had  been  delivered  to  the  postoffice. 
I  again  applied  at  the  General  Delivery  window,  and 
this  time  the  clerk  looked  at  me  suspiciously  before 
telling  me  that  William  Baird's  mail  had  been  called 
for  and  delivered  a  few  minutes  previously.  Of 
course,  on  both  occasions,  Mr.  Baird  had  beaten  me 
to  the  window  and  I  had  been  spending  my  time 
watching  an  empty  nest.  There  seemed  nothing 
more  for  me  to  do  in  Providence,  so  I  returned 
home  to  see  if  Baird  would  reply  to  my  wife's 
letter. 

"  On  my  arrival  I  found  that  my  wife  had  shown 
marked  cleverness  in  her  letter  to  Baird,  striving 
to  gain  not  only  a  reply  from  him,  but  also  to  allay 
any  suspicions  which  the  correspondence  might 
raise  in  his  mind.  She  told  him  that  she  objected 
to  sending  loose  bills  through  the  mail,  and  re- 
quested him  to  tell  her  more  definitely  exactly  what 
she  should  do.  This  morning  we  received  a  reply 
which  seems  to  indicate  that,  as  yet,  Mr.  Baird's 
suspicions  have  not  been  aroused.  He  told  her  to 
send  the  money  by  registered  mail.  Now  it  seems 
to  me  that  we  have  Mr.  Baird  in  a  nice  little  trap 
of  his  own  making.  My  wife  will  send  him  a  regis- 
tered package,  and  then  you  and  I  will  be  on  hand  in 
Providence  to  interview  him  when  he  signs  for  it. 
Does  the  plan  strike  you  favourably  ?  " 

Quincy  nodded  smilingly.     "  It  seems  to  be  the 


WILLIAM  BAIRD,  P.  B.  293 

only  plan,  does  it  not  ?  "  he  inquired.  "  We  have 
absolutely  no  clue  as  to  the  identity  of  William 
Baird,  and  there  seems  nothing  for  us  to  do  except 
to  follow  along  the  lines  you  have  laid  down.  I 
would  suggest  that  you  have  your  wife  make  up  this 
package,  and  then  we  can  go  to  Providence.  Re- 
turn here,  when  you  are  ready,  and  I  shall  accom- 
pany you." 

Mr.  Self  ridge  took  his  departure,  after  agreeing 
to  the  arrangement,  and  Quincy  -turned  his  atten- 
tion to  some  office  detail  which  he  wished  to  clear 
up  before  leaving.  Within  ten  minutes  after  the 
departure  of  Selfridge  a  second  visitor  appeared  in 
Quincy 's  office.  This  visitor  spent  no  time  in  inter- 
viewing the  doorboy,  but  bolted  unceremoniously 
into  the  room  without  even  so  much  as  "  by  your 
leave."  Glancing  sharply  up,  Quincy  beheld  In- 
spector Gates,  of  police  headquarters,  and  grinned 
a  welcome. 

"  Hello,  Inspector,"  he  greeted  heartily. 
"What's  the  cause  of  all  the  confusion?" 

Gates  dropped  rather  wearily  into  a  chair  and 
produced  his  pipe.  "  I  merely  dropped  in,"  he  re- 
marked with  assumed  carelessness,  "  to  ask  what 
you  know  about  a  gentleman  who  styles  himself 
William  Baird,  P.  B." 

Quincy  eyed  the  inspector  in  surprise.  "  What 
do  I  know  about  him! "  he  ejaculated.  "  Nothing 


294  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

except  that  I  am  after  him.  Why,  do  you  know 
him?" 

"  Indirectly,"  Gates  replied  with  a  decided  trace 
of  disgust  in  his  tones.  "  I'm  after  him,  too,  and, 
as  we  have  absolutely  no  record  of  him,  nor  in- 
formation concerning  him  at  headquarters,  I 
thought  I'd  drop  in  and  see  if  you  had  ever  run 
across  him.  You  have  been  engaged  on  his  case  ?  " 
he  continued  with  increased  interest. 

"  Yes,"  Quincy  replied.  "  He  made  away  with  a 
quantity  of  bric-a-brac  from  the  home  of  a  gentle- 
man here  in  Boston  'some  time  ago,  and  I  have  just 
been  engaged  to  look  him  up.  What  trick  of  his 
has  interested  you  ?  " 

"  Nothing  that  he  did  here,  or,  rather,  nothing 
that  he  did  here  first,  started  me  after  him.  He's 
done  plenty  since,  though.  I  first  heard  of  him 
yesterday  afternoon  when  Captain  Baldwin  of  Den- 
ver introduced  himself  at  headquarters  and  told 
us  he  was  tracing  the  man.  Baird  did  a  job  in 
Denver  some  time  ago,  and  Baldwin  has  just  traced 
him  to  New  England.  He  had  a  tip,  picked  up  the 
Lord  knows  where,  that  Baird  was  due  to  pull  off 
a  stunt  in  Boston  last  night  and  he  wanted  help  in 
nailing  the  man.  I  was  detailed  on  the  case  and  we 
went  to  work  on  it.  According  to  Captain  Bald- 
win's tip,  Baird  was  going  to  pay  a  visit  to  Jacob 
Louisburg  last  night.  You  know  of  old  Louisburg, 


WILLIAM  BAIRD,  P.  B  295 

the  retired  theatrical  magnate,  and  you  know  he  has 
a  young  museum  in  his  house  that  makes  the  In- 
stitute people  green  "vvith  envy  every  time  they 
hear  of  it.  So  we  drilled  around  to  Louis- 
burg's  house,  and  set  out  to  wait  for  Baird  to 
come." 

"  And  Baird  got  wind  of  your  presence  with  the 
result  that  he  failed  to  put  in  an  appearance," 
Quincy  interjected. 

Gates  grinned  ruefully.  "  Oh,  yes,  he  came  all 
right.  And,  what  is  more,  he  got  away  with  a 
couple  of  little  gold  and  jewelled  images,  valued  at 
about  ten  thousand  dollars,  from  right  under  our 
noses.  It  was  the  slickest  job  I  ever  heard  of,  and 
maybe  old  Louisburg  didn't  put  up  a  howl.  Honest, 
I  never  really  understood  what  a  downright  dub  a 
police  inspector  is  until  he  explained  it  to  me  this 
morning." 

"But  how  was  the  job  done?"  Quincy  ques- 
tioned eagerly,  laughing  in  spite  of  himself  at  the 
expression  on  Gates's  face. 

"  I'm  blessed  if  I  know  how  it  was  done,"  Gates 
confessed.  "  Both  Baldwin  and  myself  were  on  the 
watch  all  night.  Louisburg's  collection  is  arranged 
in  two  big  rooms,  and  Baldwin  took  one  to  watch 
wihile  I  had  the  other.  I'll  swear  that  not  a  soul 
entered  my  room  all  night  long,  yet  this  morning 
there  was  one  of  Baird's  confounded  receipts  on 


296  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

the  table  and,  after  Louisburg  had  gone  over  the 
list  of  stuff  in  the  room,  he  discovered  that  the  two 
images  were  gone.  They  had  been  standing  on  top 
of  a  case  where  nobody  but  an  old  idiot  would  have 
left  them  in  the  first  place,  and,  of  course,  it  was  a 
cinch  to  lift  them  after  a  man  once  got  into  the 
room." 

"They  were  in  the  room  you  were  guarding?" 
Quincy  inquired. 

"  Sure,"  said  Gates  with  deepening  disgust. 
"  No  such  luck  as  to  have  them  lifted  from  Bald- 
win's room.  Of  course  they  had  to  be  nipped  in 
mine,  so  as  to  give  the  whole  force  a  chance  to  pass 
me  the  laugh." 

"  But  somebody  must  have  gotten  in,"  Quincy 
said  in  slow  perplexity. 

"Of  course  somebody  got  in.  Do  you  think 
I'm  such  a  fool  as  to  intimate  that  a  ghost  might 
have  done  the  job?  All  I  say  is  that  I  didn't  see 
anybody,  and  I  watched  with  all  my  eyes.  The 
room  isn't  very  big,  and  I'm  blessed  if  I  can  under- 
stand how  any  person  managed  to  enter  it  without 
my  seeing  him." 

"  You're  absolutely  certain  of  that  ?  No  person 
entered  the  room  from  the  time  you  went  in  until 
you  made  the  discovery?  " 

"  Dead  sure.  Not  a  soul  came  into  that  room  all 
night.  Nobody  that  I  saw,  I  mean." 


WILLIAM  BAIRD,  P.  B.  297 

"  The  things  couldn't  have  been  taken  out  first, 
could  they?  " 

"  N-o.  I  tried  to  ease  my  mind  with  that  one, 
but,  you  see,  Baldwin  looked  over  the  table  before 
we  separated  and,  what  is  more,  I  was  sitting  on  it 
at  the  time.  Neither  of  us  saw  the  least  sign  of  the 
paper.  H-ad  it  been  there,  we  must  have  seen  it, 
as  the  table  was  absolutely  bare  of  any  covering  or 
articles  of  any  nature/' 

"  You  had  the  rooms  darkened,  of  course,  while 
you  were  watching  ?" 

"  Certainly.  They  were  dark  all  night,  but,  after 
my  eyes  became  used  to  the  darkness,  I  was  able  to 
see  dimly,  and  could  have  told  if  anybody  had  come 
in.  Even  if  I  couldn't  have  seen  I  must  have  heard 
them.  You  know  how  easy  it  is  to  hear  even  the 
slightest  sound  in  the  darkness  when  you  are  on 
the  alert." 

Quincy  shook  his  head  and  puzzled  for  a  mo- 
ment. "  Well,  Inspector,"  he  said  finally,  "  I  don't 
see  that  there  is  anything  for  you  and  Captain  Bald- 
win to  do  except  to  join  in  the  merry  little  chase 
to  Providence.  I  have  a  clue  that  leads  there,  and 
I  am  perfectly  willing  to  share  it  with  you  and  the 
captain.  The  address  on  your  circular  said  Provi- 
dence, did  it  not?  " 

"  Yes,  Providence,  General  Delivery.  Has  your 
client  arranged  to  bait  him  up  to  that  point?  " 


298  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

"  Not  only  that,  but  it  is  also  arranged  for  him  to 
call  for  a  registered  package.  If  we  are  on  hand, 
we  should  be  able  to  get  our  man  or  one  of  his 
confederates,  between  us  all.  Will  you  come?" 

"  Of  course  I  will.  There  is  nothing  else  for  me 
to  do.  I'll  get  the  captain,  and  we'll  meet  you  at 
the  South  station.  You  can  telephone  me  when  you 
are  ready  to  start." 

After  the  inspector  had  departed  Quincy  called 
up  Mr.  Self  ridge  on  the  telephone,  advised  him  of 
the  proposed  addition  to  their  party,  and  made 
several  changes  in  the  plans  that  had  previously 
been  laid.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  interview  he 
smoked  silently  and  abstractedly  for  many  minutes, 
appearing  to  arrive  at  no  definite  conclusion.  When 
Selfridge  appeared,  however,  he  startled  that 
worthy  gentleman  by  abruptly  declaring : 

"  It  isn't  possible.  No,  sir,  it  couldn't  have  been 
done.  But  what  logical  reason  can  Gates  have  for 
denying  that  he  saw  the  man  enter?  " 

The  client  blinked  his  eyes  rapidly  for  a  few 
moments,  as  though  undecided  whether  to  stand 
or  to  retreat.  "  I'm  sure  I  can't  tell,  Mr.  Sawyer," 
he  ventured  at  last.  "  Perhaps,  if  I  knew  what  you 
were  talking  about,  I  might  hazard  an  opinion/' 

Quincy  grinned.  "  Pardon  my  incoherent  re- 
marks, please,"  he  said  quietly.  "  The  question  is 
this :  Can  two  inanimate  objects  remove  themselves 


WILLIAM  BAIRD,  P.  B.  299 

from  their  original  positions  and,  at  the  same  time, 
leave  one  of  our  friend  Baird's  circulars  behind 
them?" 

"  From  such  observations  as  I  have  been  able  to 
make,  I  should  say  not,"  Selfridge  returned  judi- 
cially. 

"  Then  somebody  must  have  removed  them,  or  at 
least  that  would  seem  the  inevitable  conclusion. 
Now,  how  could  that  somebody  have  removed 
them  from  a  room  which  was  being  carefully 
guarded  by  a  man  inside  it?" 

"  I  should  consider  that,  also,  impossible  unless, 
perchance,  the  guard  might  have  been  asleep." 

Quincy  nodded  gravely.  "  Yes,  unless  he  was 
asleep  or  unless  he  had  been  in  some  way  blinded." 

Selfridge  looked  interested.  "  Would  it  be  pos- 
sible to  blind  a  man  temporarily  without  his  feeling 
any  after  effects  ?  " 

"  Yes,  if  he  had  been  blinded  subconsciously." 
Quincy  scowled  as  he  spoke  the  words,  but,  as  they 
appeared  to  have  no  effect  other  than  to  further  be- 
wilder his  client,  he  broke  off  abruptly.  "  I  think 
we  had  better  be  getting  down  to  the  station.  You 
followed  my  instructions  in  preparing  the  pack- 
age?" 

"  To  the  letter." 

In  the  early  dusk  of  the  evening  the  four  men 
strolled  down  the  sloping  walk  from  the  Providence 


300  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

station  in  the  direction  of  the  postoffice,  only  a 
short  distance  away.  Halfway  down  the  walk 
Gates  paused  and  pointed  toward  a  narrow  street, 
the  end  of  which  was  overshadowed  by  low,  wooden 
bar-rooms. 

"  Fountain  Street,"  he  observed,  half  turning 
toward  'his  companions.  "  The  police  headquarters 
building  is  a  short  distance  up  that  street,  if  you 
should  want  to  find  it  for  any  reason." 

Quincy  and  Selfridge  paid  but  little  attention  to 
the  street,  both  being  fairly  familiar  with  Provi- 
dence; but  Captain  Baldwin  gazed  at  it  with  inter- 
est, and  appeared  to  be  carefully  fixing  its  location 
in  his  mind. 

"  Are  you  going  to  take  the  Providence  police 
in  on  this?  "  he  asked. 

"  No,"  Gates  replied.  "  This  particular  quest  is 
Mr.  Sawyer's.  If  we  use  up  his  clue  without  any 
results,  we  may  be  obliged  to  go  to  them  for  help, 
but,  out  of  respect  to  Mr.  Sawyer,  we  cannot  do 
so  until  we  have  first  made  a  failure.  You  are  in 
command  of  this  section  of  the  chase,  Sawyer. 
What  are  your  suggestions?" 

Quincy  acknowledged  the  reference  to  his  tem- 
porary leadership  with  a  brief  nod.  "  My  first  sug- 
gestion is  that  we  divide  the  watching  of  the  post- 
office.  Suppose  you  take  the  first  watch,  Gates, 
from  now  until  ten  o'clock.  Then  Captain  Baldwin 


WILLIAM  BAIRD,  P.  B.  301 

can  go  on  until  one,  after  which  Mr.  Self  ridge  can 
take  it  up  until  four,  while  I  go  on  for  the  final  watch 
of  the  night.  That  will  give  us  all  time  in  which 
to  secure  some  sleep  while  the  work  will  be  done 
better  than  would  be  probable  if  we  took  it  at  longer 
intervals." 

"  I  am  agreed,"  Baldwin  spoke  bluntly.  "  By 
the  way,  Mr.  Selfridge,  what  is  in  that  package  — 
money  or  stuffing?" 

Quincy  broke  in  before  Selfridge  could  reply. 
"  The  money  is  there.  We  want  to  take  the  man 
with  the  goods  on  him.  He  won't  have  the  bric-a- 
brac,  of  course;  but,  if  he  has  the  money,  we'll  have 
something  on  him,  whether  he's  Baird  or  just  a 
confederate.  That  will  give  us  full  authority  to 
hold  him  until  we  can  make  a  clean-up  of  the  entire 
gang." 

Baldwin  glanced  at  him  sharply  from  under  his 
heavy  eyebrows,  but  merely  nodded  in  reply,  as 
the  four  reached  the  postoffice  and  Gates  disap- 
peared for  the  first  round  of  the  watch.  The 
others  made  their  way  at  once  to  a  hotel,  where 
they  arranged  for  the  accommodation  of  all 
four. 

It  was  nearly  ten  o'clock  when  Quincy  again 
emerged  from  the  hotel  and,  accompanied  by  Cap- 
tain Baldwin,  made  his  way  toward  the  postoffice 
for  the  purpose  of  relieving  Gates.  Outside  the 


302  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

building  Quincy  paused,  allowing  the  captain  to 
enter  alone.  Gates  appeared  almost  immediately. 

"  Nothing  doing,"  he  announced.  "  I've  watched 
that  window  like  a  cat  over  a  mouse  hole,  but  no- 
body of  interest  to  us  has  appeared." 

"  The  night  is  young  as  yet,  Gates,"  Quincy  re- 
plied. "  I  have  a  feeling  that  Captain  Baldwin  is 
going  to  discover  something,  and  that  it  might  be 
well  for  us  to  wait  here  in  some  inconspicuous 
corner." 

Gates  did  not  appear  particularly  sanguine  re- 
garding the  possibility,  but,  as  he  offered  no  ob- 
jection, the  two  stowed  themselves  away  in  the 
shadow  cast  by  an  abutment.  For  half  an  hour 
their  vigil  was  unrewarded,  and  Gates  was  begin- 
ning to  stir  impatiently,  when  Quincy  suddenly 
seized  him  by  the  arm. 

"  There !  "  he  exclaimed,  pointing  toward  a  man 
just  emerging  from  the  further  door  of  the  build- 
ing. 

"  Baldwin,  sure  enough,"  Gates  answered  in  an 
undertone.  "  And  he  must  have  picked  up  the 
scent,  to  judge  from  the  way  he  hikes  off.  Shall 
we  catch  up  with  him  ?  " 

"  No,  just  keep  him  in  sight,  that  is  all.  If  he 
has  found  the  scent,  let  him  have  the  credit  for  the 
arrest  We'll  keep  just  near  enough  to  be  of  as- 
sistance in  case  he  needs  us.** 


WILLIAM  BAIRD,  P.  B.  303 

"  He  has  his  eye  on  somebody,"  exclaimed  Gates, 
as  they  moved  rapidly  along.  "  See,  he  is  follow- 
ing that  man  ahead  of  him." 

"  Apparently,"  Quincy  agreed.  "  But  where  did 
the  man  come  from?  I  didn't  see  him  leave  the 
postoffice." 

"  He  probably  came  out  through  another  door." 

"  Then  why  didn't  Baldwin  follow  him  that 
\tfay?" 

Gates  pondered  the  question  for  a  moment. 
"  Probably  he  was  afraid  of  being  seen.  Anyhow, 
it's  a  dead  cinch  to  pick  up  the  trail  of  a  man  who 
leaves  by  almost  any  door  of  that  building  when  the 
streets  are  as  clear  of  traffic  as  they  now  are.  But, 
hello,  what  have  we  here  ?  "  He  broke  off  suddenly 
as  first  the  quarry  and  then  Baldwin  disappeared 
around  the  corner  of  the  low^studded  bar-room  that 
marked  the  corner  of  Fountain  Street. 

They  quickened  their  pace  and  soon  turned  the 
corner.  As  they  did  so  the  lights  in  the  saloon 
whipped  out,  showing  that  the  hour  of  closing  had 
arrived.  A  few  men  were  grouped  on  the  sidewalk 
before  it,  far  up  the  street  they  could  discern  the 
(hurrying  form  of  Baldwin;  but  nowhere  could 
they  catch  sight  of  the  man  whom  he  had  been 
following.  Hurrying  forward  through  the  poorly 
lighted  street,  they  saw  Baldwin  turn  another  cor- 
ner and,  viewing  him  from  an  angle  caused  by  the. 


304  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

arrangement  of  the  streets,  they  saw  him  step 
quickly  into  the  side  door  of  the  corner  building. 
Arrived  at  the  point  of  his  disappearance  they 
paused  somewhat  mystified. 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,"  Gates  muttered,  staring 
about  him.  With  an  air  of  utter  bewilderment  he 
gazed  at  the  Church  House  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  street,  and  then  allowed  his  eyes  to  wander 
slowly  to  the  right,  where  they  rested  on  the  mass- 
ive police  building  towering  above  them.  "  Now 
what  in  the  world  do  you  suppose  he  expects  to  find 
here  under  the  very  windows  of  the  station  ?  " 

Quincy  uttered  a  low  laugh.  "  The  best  way  to 
find  out  is  to  follow  him."  And,  suiting  the  action 
to  the  word,  they  slipped  into  the  building. 

Up  a  flight  of  dimly  lighted  stairs  they  quietly 
stole,  with  ears  strained  to  catch  the  slightest 
sound  which  might  act  as  a  guide.  Sounds  there 
were  in  plenty  for,  from  a  room  at  the  head  of  the 
stairway,  loud  voices  sounded  in  seeming  alterca- 
tion, although  the  words  were  so  blurred  as  not  to 
be  distinguishable.  A  door  stood  slightly  ajar  and, 
pushing  it  open,  they  cautiously  entered,  pausing 
in  surprise  on  the  threshold  when  they  beheld  Bald- 
win kneeling  at  the  further  end  of  the  room,  his 
ear  to  the  keyhole  of  another  door.  He  saw  them 
from  the  tail  of  his  eye  and  held  up  his  hand  in 
token  of  silence,  at  the  same  time  beckoning  them 


"HELD  UP  HIS  HAND  IN  TOKEN  OF  SILENCE." 


WILLIAM  BAIRD,  P.  B.  305 

to  come  closer.  The  words  from  the  other  room  be- 
came distinguishable  as  they  approached,  but  the 
tongue  was  one  which  neither  could  understand. 

Baldwin  eyed  them  disgustedly  as  they  drew 
near.  "  I  made  an  ass  of  myself,"  he  announced  in 
a  low  whisper,  "  and  followed  the  wrong  man. 
Don't  be  afraid  to  whisper.  They  can't  hear  you 
above  all  that  racket." 

"  But  how  do  you  know  you  followed  the  wrong 
man?"  Gates  demanded. 

"  There  were  two  at  the  window  at  the  same 
time,  and  I  couldn't  crowd  close  enough  to  make 
certain  which  one  signed  for  Baird's  package.  I 
followed  this  fellow,  the  one  who's  doing  so  much 
talking.  He's  talking  Dutch  and  I  understand  it. 
Just  now  he's  explaining  to  the  landlord  why  he 
can't  pay  his  room  rent.  I  made  a  mess  of  things, 
that's  all." 

Gates  glared  at  him  with  savage  disgust. 
"  You're  a  bird  of  a  police  captain,  you  are,"  he 
blurted,  utterly  forgetting  the  need  for  caution. 
"  Followed  the  wrong  man !  How  do  you  know 
you  did?  Why  don't  you  nab  that  fellow,  and 
pluck  him,  if  you  can  talk  his  rank  jabber.  He 
may  be  only  stalling  his  landlord  and  may  know 
more  about  this  than  you  give  him  credit  for." 

For  a  moment  the  captain,  seemingly  stung  by 
Gates'  remarks,  hesitated  uncertainly,  his  hand  on 


306  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

the  doorknob  and  a  look  of  indecision  in  his  eyes. 
"  No,"  he  said  at  last,  turning  from  the  door.  "  It 
would  do  no  good.  I'm  morally  certain  that  he  is 
the  wrong  man,  and  that  I've  balled  things  up.  I 
suggest  that  we  return  to  the  hotel  and  rest  up 
until  tomorrow  when,  perhaps,  we  shall  be  able  to 
get  some  kind  of  a  line  on  this  case.  What  do  you 
think,  Mr.  Sawyer?'' 

To  Gates'  complete  and  unconcealed  disgust, 
Quincy  agreed  with  the  proposition  and  the  three, 
the  disgruntled  Gates  hanging  sullenly  in  the  rear, 
made  their  way  once  more  to  the  street. 

"  You  fellows  may  be  a  pair  of  wise  old  owls, 
but  I'm  blamed  if  I  see  it,"  Gates  stormed,  as  they 
stood  on  the  sidewalk.  "  Here,  Baldwin  says  that 
he  followed  the  wrong  man ;  but  he  won't  do  any- 
thing about  it  to  make  sure  that  he  did,  and  Sawyer 
passes  up  the  hand  on  somebody  else's  say-so.  It's 
all  right  for  you,  Baldwin,  and  for  you,  Sawyer; 
but  think  of  me!  You  fellows  haven't  had  a  pair  of 
valuable  images  pinched  from  before  your  very  eyes 
and  you  aren't  the  laughing  stock  of  your  whole 
crowd.  I'm  up  against  it  good  and  proper,  and,  if 
I  don't  get  this  man,  my  chances  of  promotion  are 
shoved  back  about  five  years.  I'm  boss  tomorrow, 
remember  that,  and  you  can  bet  that,  if  I  get  on  the 
track  of  a  man  who  has  the  least  suspicion  hitched 
to  him,  he'll  sweat  some  before  he  can  give  us  the 


WILLIAM  BAIRD,  P.  B.  307 

slip.  That  man,  Baird,  seems  to  have  this  whole 
crowd  buffaloed  and  hoodooed,  and  the  chances  are 
he's  on  his  way  to  a  thousand  miles  from  here  by 
now/'  he  concluded  ruefully. 

As  neither  Quincy  nor  Baldwin  appeared  desir- 
ous of  answering  the  criticisms,  and  as  Gates  could 
fix  his  mind  on  nothing  else,  the  walk  back  to  the 
hotel  was  accomplished  in  silence.  Once  there,  the 
three  filed  slowly  up  to  Mr.  Selfridge's  room,  where 
they  proceeded  to  rout  that  eager  gentleman  out  of 
bed. 

"  Did  you  gpet  anything?  "  Self  ridge  demanded 
anxiously  as,  clad  in  a  dressing  gown,  he  hastily 
threw  open  the  door. 

"  Did  we  get  anything,"  Gates  growled  explc*- 
sively,  crowding  into  the  room,  and  throwing  him- 
self angrily  into  a  chair.  "  Yes,  we  got  stung, 
that's  what  we  got.  Huh!  It's  sure  a  peach  of  a 
sensation  to  work  with  men  who'll  trail  a  party 
right  down  to  earth,  and  then  let  him  go  because 
he  tells  his  landlord  he  can't  pay  his  rent.  And  to 
think  that  I  let  'em  take  the  direction  of  this  thing 
away  from  me,"  he  wailed  in  conclusion. 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  the  man  got 
away  from  you ! "  Self  ridge  exclaimed,  staring 
in  consternation  from  one  to  another  of  the 
.trio. 

"  Yes,  he  grot  away,"  Captain  Baldwin  affirmed 


308  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

shortly,  a  tinge  of  bitterness  at  Gates'  contempt 
creeping  into  his  tones. 

"  I  wonder  if  he  did." 

At  the  words  the  men  turned  simultaneously 
toward  where  Quincy  sat  thoughtfully  staring  at 
the  ceiling,  their  faces  characteristic  of  their  varied 
natures.  Baldwin's  eyebrows  arched,  and  his  face 
assumed  an  expression  of  polite  inquiry;  Self- 
ridge's  face  showed  frank  expectation;  while 
Gates  sneered  openly  at  any  idea  which  Quincy 
might  now  be  about  to  advance.  For  several  sec- 
onds Quincy  continued  to  stare  fixedly  at  the  ceil- 
ing without  offering  the  least  explanation  for  his 
remark,  then  suddenly,  and  without  allowing  any 
chance  for  preparation,  he  demanded : 

"  Gates,  presupposing  that  a  given  man  is  neither 
a  liar  nor  a  fool,  in  what  class  shall  we  place  him 
when  he  tells  us  an  impossible  lie?*' 

Gates'  expression  of  scorn  weakened  slightly  at 
the  question,  and  he  stared  suspiciously.  "  Who  is 
the  man,  and  what  are  the  conditions?"  he  de- 
manded finally. 

"  You  are  the  man,"  Quincy  enlightened  him, 
"  and  the  conditions  are  these.  You  were  on  guard 
when  two  costly  images  were  stolen  from  within  a 
few  feet  of  you,  and  a  curious  receipt  left  in  their 
place.  I  know  you  too  well  to  think  that  you  were 
asleep,  so  that  phase  of  the  question  is  done  away 


WILLIAM  BAIRD,  P.  B.  309 

with.  You  swear  positively,  however,  that  nobody 
entered  the  room  while  you  were  watching.  In- 
animate objects  do  not  make  away  with  themselves. 
That  leaves  two  possibilities;  either  you  are  a  liar, 
which  I  know  you  are  not,  or  else  you  took  them 
yourself.  Which  are  we  to  believe?" 

At  the  question  Gates  sprang  angrily  to  his  feet, 
his  face  livid  at  the  accusation.  For  a  moment  he 
stuttered  incoherently,  but  Quincy  softly  waved  him 
aside. 

"  Oh,  Gates,  Gates,"  he  murmured  reproachfully, 
"  will  you  never  learn  to  think  for  yourself,  or  to 
get  away  from  the  consideration  of  things  that  are 
patently  impossible?  Arrest  William  Baird,  P.  B., 
who  sits  over  there  masquerading  under  the  name  of 
Captain  Baldwin,  and  between  us  we  shall  tell  you 
a  story." 

Had  Quincy  picked  up  the  centre  table  and  hurled 
it  at  one  of  his  companions,  he  could  not  have  cre- 
ated greater  consternation  than  did  his  nonchalant 
accusation.  Gates  paused  with  half-open  mouth 
and  eyes  fixed  on  Quincy's  face,  while  the  others 
seemed  too  utterly  dumfounded  to  move. 

The  first  to  regain  his  senses,  apparently,  was 
Baldwin,  for,  with  a  quick  sidelong  lurch,  he  threw 
himself  toward  the  door.  But  a  surprise  awaited 
him,  for  the  door  was  locked.  Quincy  had  quietly 
attended  to  that  on  entering.  Making  the  discovery 


310  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

of  the  locked  door  Baldwin  turned  at  bay,  seemingly 
with  some  hope  of  fighting  his  way  to  the  open  win- 
dow. 

Before  he  could  move,  however,  Gates,  accepting 
Quincy's  statement,  coupled  with  Baldwin's  own 
attempt  to  escape,  as  sufficient  proof,  was  upon  him. 
Baldwin  ducked  lightly  under  the  inspector's  arm, 
flinging  Gates  aside  with  a  sharp  blow,  and  leaped 
toward  the  window.  But  it  was  the  quiet  Selfridge 
who  blocked  that  plan  of  escape.  As  Baldwin 
passed,  Selfridge,  without  moving  from  his  chair, 
coolly  extended  his  foot  and  Baldwin  fell  heavily  to 
the  floor.  Before  he  could  move  again  Gates  had 
seized  him  with  a  relentless  grip  and  had  jerked  him 
to  his  feet 

"  So  it  was  you,  was  it  ?  "  Gates  snarled,  wres- 
tling the  heavier  man  back  to  his  chair.  "  You've 
played  me  for  a  sucker  right  along,  but  your  game 
is  finished  now.  Sit  down  and  tell  us  your  yarn." 

Baldwin  seated  himself,  staring  straight  into 
Gates'  outraged  eyes  as  he  did  so.  "  You  have  no 
right  to  question  me  and  I  refuse  to  talk/'  he  af- 
firmed doggedly. 

"  You  are  perfectly  within  your  rights,  sir," 
Qiiincy  assured  him,  "  and  it  is  not  necessary  for 
you  to  talk  anyway."  With  a  sudden  deft  move- 
ment he  leaned  forward  and  plucked  a  package  from 
the  inner  pocket  of  Baldwin's  coat.  "  Have  you 


WILLIAM  BAIRD,  P.  B.  311 

ever  seen  that  before  ?  "  he  inquired,  tossing  it  to 
Selfridge. 

"My  package!"  Selfridge  exclaimed,  seizing  it 
eagerly. 

"  Wait!  "  Quincy  cautioned  him  sharply,  as  Self- 
ridge was  about  to  run  his  finger  beneath  the  seal. 
"  Save  it  intact  for  the  trial.  We  three  can  witness 
that  it  was  taken  from  Baldwin's  pocket,  and  it  will 
carry  more  weight  if  you  can  give  a  straight  ac- 
count of  its  contents  before  it  is  opened.  Now,  if 
you  wish,  I  am  ready  to  give  you  my  story  of  the 
affair." 

"  Wish !  "  Gates  snorted.  "  Do  you  think  I  could 
keep  my  wits  in  my  head  another  twenty- four  hours 
if  you  shouldn't  pass  on  an  explanation  of  this 
thing  ?  How  did  you  come  to  settle  on  that  —  that 
—  wolf  in  sheep's  clothing  over  there?  "  The  term 
did  not  seem  to  satisfy  the  inspector's  desires,  but 
he  allowed  it  to  pass,  accompanied  by  a  glare  in 
Baldwin's  direction. 

"  Very  simple,  Gates,"  Quincy  informed  him  with 
a  smile.  "  I  had  my  suspicions  from  the  first. 
You  see  the  entire  matter  amounted  to  just  this: 
You  were  on  watch  when  the  articles  were  stolen 
and  the  slip  of  paper  left  in  their  place.  Very 
naturally  the  things  must  have  been  taken  either 
with  or  without  your  consent.  I  passed  by  the  first 
supposition  as  improbable.  Therefore,  if  they  were 


312  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

taken  without  your  consent,  why  didn't  you  raise 
the  alarm?  Obviously  you  did  not  do  so  because 
you  were  not  aware  that  they  were  being  taken. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  how  could  they  have  been 
taken  without  your  becoming-  aware  of  the  fact? 

"  The  only  answer  I  could  discover  was  that  they 
were  taken  by  somebody  whose  presence  in  the  room 
you  would  not  have  noticed,  whose  presence  you 
would  have  been  practically  unconscious  of.  Do 
you  understand  what  I  mean?  I  mean  a  person 
who  could  have  entered  the  room,  and  whose  en- 
trance you  would  not  take  into  account  when  you 
figured  the  case  up  later.  So  far  as  I  could  dis- 
cover, there  were  but  two  persons  who  could  have 
done  that,  thing.  One  was  Jacob  Louisburg  him- 
self and  the  other  was  Captain  Baldwin.  I  was  even 
inclined  to  leave  Mr.  Louisburg  out  of  the  problem, 
for  I  doubted  if  even  he  could  have  entered  without 
your  having  taken  particular  note  of  his  pres- 
ence. 

"  Consequently,  everything  appeared  to  point 
toward  Captain  Baldwin.  He  undoubtedly  could 
have  strolled  into  the  room  a  dozen  .times  on  various 
pretexts  and  his  visits  would  have  left  no  impres- 
sion on  your  mind  because  you  regarded  him  as  a 
sort  of  second  self  in  this  particular  affair.  If  nec- 
essary he  could  have  made  a  separate  trip  to  secure 
each  of  the  images,  which  were  so  small  he  could 


WILLIAM  BAIRD,  P.  B  313 

easily  have  concealed  them  in  his  pockets,  and  then 
another  trip  for  the  purpose  of  leaving  the  receipt. 
Another  point  against  him  was  the  fact  that  he 
knew  an  attempt  was  to  be  made  on  Louisburg's 
valuables,  but  carefully  refrained  from  mentioning 
the  source  of  his  information. 

"  That  was  my  working  plan  when  I  started.  I 
watched  Captain  Baldwin  most  carefully  from  the 
time  of  our  leaving  Boston  until  he  went  on  watch 
at  the  postoffice  tonight.  His  interest  in  the  con- 
tents of  the  package  strengthened  my  suspicions, 
although  I  must  admit  that,  outside  of  that  particu- 
lar incident,  I  was  unable  to  discover  anything 
against  him  up  to  the  time  of  his  leaving  the  post- 
office.  I  placed  him  on  the  second  watch  because 
I  wished  to  have  you,  Gates,  with  me  when  the  cap- 
tain made  a  move,  presupposing  that  he  would  do 
so. 

"  He  did  just  what  I  expected  him  to  do.  That 
is,  he  waited  to  give  us  time  in  which  to  get  well 
away  from  the  place,  and  then  calmly  claimed  the 
package  and  took  his  departure.  He  did  not  expect 
to  be  discovered ;  but  he  soon  found  that  you  and  I 
were  following  him,  upon  which  he  resorted  to  the 
scheme  of  pretending  to  follow  a  fourth  man,  who 
happened  along  as  a  most  fortunate  coincidence. 
He  either  followed  the  man  into  the  place  where 
we  discovered  him,  or  else  he  allowed  the  man  to 


314  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

slip  away  while  he  himself  went  into  the  first  con- 
venient building,  allowing  us  to  see  him  enter  in 
order  to  insure  our  following  him.  His  bluff  when 
we  discovered  him  was  a  most  clever  one,  and,  for 
all  I  know,  he  may  have  told  us  the  truth  about  the 
conversation  which  we  overheard.  Do  you  mind 
informing  us  on  that  point,  Captain  ?  " 

Captain  Baldwin  grinned  at  the  question,  his  self- 
possession  appearing  to  have  returned  during 
Quincy's  recital.  "  To  tell  the  truth,  Mr.  Sawyer," 
he  admitted,  "  that  man  may  have  been  preaching  a 
sermon  for  all  I  know  to  the  contrary.  I  never 
heard  his  lingo  before."  He  paused  a  moment  and 
appeared  undecided  as  to  his  next  step,  but  soon 
broke  out  abruptly :  "I  may  as  well  pass  up  my 
hand,  I  suppose.  You  fellows  have  me  with  the 
goods  and  there  is  no  use  in  my  blurring  any  further. 
You  have  the  story  about  right,  Mr.  Sawyer. 
Somehow,  when  I  first  received  Mr.  Self  ridge's 
check,  and  then  the  pieces  of  correspondence,  I 
became  alarmed.  I  had  a  hunch  that  he  had  turned 
the  case  over  to  somebody,  and  I  was  considerably 
puzzled  as  to  what  I  should  do.  My  first  impulse 
was  to  light  out  at  once,  and  I  wish  now  that  I  had 
followed  it. 

"  I  finally  decided  to  run  up  to  Boston  to  discover 
what  I  might.  The  closer  behind  a  hound  you  are 
the  less  liable  he  is  to  pick  up  your  scent,  and  so  I 


WILLIAM  BAIRD,  P.  B.  315 

faked  up  a  few  credentials  and  presented  myself  at 
police  headquarters  as  Captain  Baldwin  of  Denver. 
I  further  ingratiated  myself  by  foretelling  the  at- 
tempt on  Louisburg's  house,  and  proved  that  my 
prophecy  was  correct."  He  paused  a  moment  to 
grin  at  Gates.  "  When  we  came  here  I  planned  to 
proceed  much  as  you  have  outlined  in  your  sum- 
ming up  of  the  case,  Mr.  Sawyer.  I  would  get  the 
package,  taking  a  chance  that  there  might  be  a  little 
money  in  it,  and  leave  Providence  behind.  I  still 
had  the  original  articles,  so  the  trip  should  pay  me 
fairly  well.  Your  laying  for  me  outside  the  post- 
office  was  something  I  hadn't  counted  on,  and,  when 
I  discovered  you  there,  I  began  to  get  the  first  scare 
of  my  career.  From  there  on  you  have  outlined 
the  matter  correctly,  almost  abnormally,  I  may 
say." 

"  You  have  operated  elsewhere,  then  ?  "  Self  ridge 
inquired  with  interest. 

"  That  is  hardly  a  fair  question,  Mr.  Selfridge," 
Baldwin  replied  with  a  faint  smile.  "  Remember, 
I  am  under  arrest,  and  I  have  no  wish  to  confess  to 
anything  that  may  set  against  me.  Now,  gentle- 
men, I  am  ready  to  assist  you  in  recovering  the 
particular  articles  which  are  missing  in  this  case 
and  in  that  of  Mr.  Louisburg." 

"Just  one  more  question,"  Selfridge  begged. 
"  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  letters  P.  B.  ?  " 


316  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER,  DETECTIVE 

Baldwin  favoured  him  with  a  grin.  "  That  ques- 
tion, Mr.  Selfridge,  is  almost  on  a  par  with  your 
previous  one.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  the  let- 
ters may  stand  for  *  Professional  Burglar.' " 


THE  END. 


CHRONICLES    OF    AVONLEA  I 

In  -which  Anne  Shirley  of  Green  Gabies  and 
Avonlea  plays  some  part,  and  which  have  to  do  -with 
other  personalities  and  events ;  including  The  Hurrying  of  Lu- 
do^>ic,  Old  Lady  Lloyd,  The  Training  of  Felix,  Little  Joscelyn, 
The  Winning  of  Luctnaa,  Old  Man  Shaw's  Girl,  Aunt  Olivia's 
Beau,  The  Quarantine  at  Alexander  Abraham's,  Pa  Shane's 
Purchase,  The  Courting  of  Prissy  Strong,  The  Miracle  at  Car- 
mody,  and  finally  of  The  End  of  a  Quarrel,  all  related  by 

L.  c5JT.  Montgomery 

Author  of 

"Anne  of  Green  Gables"  (32nd  printing),  "Anne  of  Avonlea"  <  16th 

printing),  "Kilmeny   of  the  Orchard"  (8th  printing),    "The  Story 

Girl "  (6th  printing). 

* 

/ 2mo,  cloth,  jpith  a  new  portrait  in  full  color  of  Anne, 
by  George  Qibbs,   net  $1 .25;  postpaid  $1.40 

9 

Anne  Shirley  is  the  very  Anne  of  whom  Mark  Twain  wrote 
in  a  letter  to  Francis  Wilson  :  "  In  Anne  Shirley,  you  will  find 
the  dearest  and  most  moving  and  delightful  child  of  fiction 
since  the  immortal  Alice."  Of  Miss  Montgomery's  previous 
books,  the  reviewers  have  written  as  follows : 

"  I  can  hardly  tell  you  how  much  I  enjoyed  the  book,  and  I  can  heartily 
recommend  it  to  my  friends  who  are  not  ashamed  when  from  time  to  time 
they  find  the  eyes  suffuse  and  the  page  grow  blurred  at  the  pathos  of  the 
story."  —  Sir  Louis  H.  Davits  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Canada. 

"  I  take  it  as  a  great  test  of  the  worth  of  the  book  that  while  the  yoang 
people  are  rummaging  all  over  the  house  looking  for  Anne,  the  head  of  the 
family  has  carried  her  off  to  read  on  his  way  to  town." —  Bliss  Carman 

"  Here  we  have  a  book  as  human  as  'David  Harum,'  a  heroine  who  out- 
charms  a  dozen  princesses  of  fiction,  and  reminds  you  of  some  sweet  girl  you 
know,  or  knew  back  in  the  days  when  the  world  was  young  and  you  threw 
away  your  sponge  that  you  might  have  to  borrow  hers  to  clean  your  slate." 
—  San  Francisco  Bulletin. 

"A  book  to  lift  the  spirit  and  send  the  pessimist  into  bankruptcy!" — 
Meredith  Nicholson. 

"  Miss  Montgomery  deserves  more  than  ordinary  praise  for  her  clean 
simple  style,  and  her  power  to  convey  the  sweetness  and  charm  of  such  a 
country  and  such  a  heroine." —  Toronto  News. 

"  The  writer's  style  is  careful  and  refined."  —  St.  Louis  Globe-Democrat. 

"  The  art  which  pervades  every  page  is  so  refined  that  the  cultivated  imagi- 
nation will  return  to  the  story  again  and  again  in  memory  to  find  always 
something  fresh  to  enjoy." —  Toronto  World. 


BILLY'S    DECISION 


A  Sequel  to  "Miss  Billy" 
3)y  (5/conor  H.  Porter 


I2mo,  cloth,   illustrate  J.   net  $1.25;  postpaid  $1 .40 


The  new  book  takes  up  the  thread  of  the  story  where  the 
first  jone  left  it.  Billy  Neilson  is  still  the  central  figure  and 
we  meet  nearly  all  the  old  characters  —  William  Henshaw, 
the  big-hearted,  still  devoted  to  his  collections  of  bugs  and 
things,  Cyril,  happy  in  having  found  for  himself  the  woman 
content  to  "darn  socks," and  Bertram,  happy  in  having  found 
the  real  Billy.  And  there  are  other  new  friends  of  Billy's  to 
meet — notably  a  young  tenor  singer  who  is  studying  for  Grand 
Opera  and  who  creates  some  very  amusing  situations.  There 
are,  too,  further  complications  brought  about  by  a  beautiful 
girl,  whose  portrait,  much  to  Billy's  dircomfiture,  Bertram  is 
painting. 


Of  the  first  "  Miss  Billy  "  the  critics  hare  written  as  follows :  — 

"  To  say  of  any  story  that  it  makes  the  reader's  heart  feel  warm  and  happy 
is  to  pay  it  praise  of  sorts,  undoubtedly.  Well,  that's  the  very  praise  one 
gives  '  Miss  Billy.'  "  —  Edwin  L.  S human  in  the  Chicago  Record-Herald. 

"There  is  a  fine  humor  in  the  book,  some  good  revelation  of  character 
and  plenty  of  romance  of  an  unusual  order."  —  The  Philadelphia  Inquirer. 

"The  reader  will  find  it  a  very  difficult  thing  to  lay  this  book  down  before 
finishing  it  to  the  very  end."  —  Boston  Times. 

"  It  is  a  tale  with  many  amusing  situations  and  a  pretty  romance  which 
endears  Billy  to  the  heart  of  the  reader."  —  Marine  Journal. 

ie  story  is  good  fun;  rapid,  clean,  and  not  too  obvious;  Billy  h 
all  right.'  "  —  Philadelphia  Press. 


NAOMI   OF   THE   ISLAND 

£y  Lucy  ^hunton  Abbott 


I2mo,  cloth,  with  a  frontispiece  in  full  color  by  William  Bunting, 
net  $1.25;     postpaid  $1 .40 


A  FIRST  story  by  a  writer  of  ability  who  bids  fair  to  be 
heard  from  as  a  novelist  of  importance.  The  potent  pos- 
sibilities of  richness  of  character  and  the  general  denial  of 
self  are  very  sympathetically  described  in  the  development 
of  the  life  of  the  girl  heroine,  Naomi,  who,  though  from 
the  time  of  her  childhood  handicapped  by  environment 
and  seemingly  overwhelmed  by  circumstances,  determines 
to  be  "somebody." 

The  scene  begins  on  a  rough  island  off  the  New  England 
coast  and  the  story  has  to  do  for  the  most  part  with  "  down 
Maine  folk."  But  it  is  the  whimsical,  dainty  and  lovable 
"  Naomi  of  the  Island  "  who  wins  our  keenest  sympathy  and 
affection  from  the  first,  and  whose  independence  and  charm 
make  us  sorrow  and  rejoice  with  her. 

The  editor  who  finally  passed  on  Mrs.  Abbott's  story 
summed  up  the  situation,  when  he  wrote:  "This  is  one  of  the 
most  charming  love  stories  I  have  ever  read  and  I  heartily 
recommend  its  publication." 


"The   beauty   of    the   story   lies  in   its    simplicity  and  pathos  mingled 
with  the  lighter  vein  of  humor."  —  Baltimore  Htrald. 


"One    merit   of   the   book    is   its    reproduction    of   the    genuine    New 
England  atmosphere.     The  humor  is  pervasive  and  delicate,  the  pathetic 


THE   DOMINANT    CHORD 

30  gdward  Kimball 

With  a  frontispiece,  in  full  color,  from  a  painting 
by  William  Bunting 

Cloth  decoratioe,  net  $1.25;  postpaid  $1 .40 


In  this  battle  of  wits  and  wealth,  of  love  and  pride,  we  have 
a  new  and  novel  interpretation  of  Wordsworth's  "  simple  plan* 
that  they  should  take  who  have  the  power,  and  they  should 
keep  who  can." 

"  The  Dominant  Chord"  is  a  story  in  which  the  characters 
that  count  are  few — just  a  man  and  a  maid.  But  the  man 
is  one  accustomed  to  make  his  own  way  and  gain  his  end,  and 
when  convention  proves  a  barrier  in  his  path,  Gordon  Craig 
defiantly  sweeps  it  aside  and  takes  decisive  measures  to  win 
the  heart  of  Alice  Huntington.  The  unusual  methods  em- 
ployed by  the  man  only  serve  to  arouse  the  natural  righting 
instincts  of  the  girl;  a  girl  whom  we  admire  for  her  womanli- 
ness, and  who  is  a  thoroughbred  in  every  act. 

There  is  a  thread  of  scientific  prophecy  running  through 
the  book  which,  while  it  does  not  distract  attention  from  the 
clash  of  two  strong,  primitive,  and,  to  a  certain  extent,  antag- 
onistic natures,  will  not  be  found  to  lessen  the  interest  in  the 
story  for  those  inclined  to  speculate  on  future  developments 
in  the  field  of  applied  science. 

But  it  is  the  story  that  counts,  and  this  conflict  of  wills,  un- 
der unusual  circumstances,  between  a  girl  of  wealth  and  posi- 
tion and  a  man  of  genius,  an  engineer,  who  does  things,  gives 
a  plot  that  is  strong,  compelling,  and  fascinating,  and  the  un- 
looked  for  denouement  serves  to  emphasize  the  author's  as- 
sertion that  "  in  all  rich  lives,  lives  that  are  worth  the  living, 
the  dominant  chord  is  love,  and  always,  always  and  inevitably 
the  strongest  thing  will  win." 


A  Romance  of  the  Time  of  Henri  III 


Robert  ^Ceilson  Stephens 

Author    of 

"  An  Enemy  to  the  King,"  "  Philip  Win  wood ," 
"  A  Soldier  of  Valley  Forge,"  etc. 

With  a  frontispiece  in  full  color  from  a  painting 

by  Edmund  H.   Garrett 
Cloth  decorative,  net  $1.25;  postpaid  $1.40 

* 

A  brilliant  romance  of  France  in  the  sixteenth  century,  in 
which  Bussy  d'Amboise,  the  brave  and  impetuous  favorite  of 
the  Due  d'Anjou,  brother  of  Henri  III,  and  Heloise  de  Mau- 
court  are  the  chief  figures. 

Mr.  Stephens  introduces  many  of  the  historical  characters 
which  appear  in  Dumas'  "  La  Dame  de  Monsoreau,"  inclu- 
ding the  Count  de  Monsoreau,  traitor  to  both  country  and 
master. 

The  plot  centres  around  the  mission  of  young  Heloise  to 
wipe  out  the  stain  on  her  family's  honor,  which  she  ascribes, 
in  error,  to  the  dashing  Bussy. 

Bussy  d'Amboise,  whose  reckless  bravery  and  chivalrous 
nature  have  made  him  famous  in  history  as  well  as  in  fiction, 
is  pictured  by  Mr.  Stephens  even  more  faithfully  than  by 
Dumas,  who,  too  frequently,  makes  historical  facts  subservi- 
ent to  the  novelist's  requirements;  while  the  other  historical 
characters  who  enter  into  the  romance  are  set  forth  with  a 
keen  knowledge  of  both  the  history  and  the  customs  of  that 
day. 

More  than  half  a  million  copies  of  Mr.  Stephens'  Romances 
hav€  been  sold. 

"  The  story  is  vivid  and  rapid,  holding  the  reader's  attention  from  the  out- 
set. The  characters  are  well  contrasted  and  in  the  large  vital  way  character, 
istic  of  the  author."  —  Philadelphia,  Press. 

"The  scenes  and  settings  of  this  winning  story  are  true  to  history."  — 
Boston  Globe. 


THE       ISLAND       OF 
BEAUTIFUL    THINGS 


(By  Will 


Ttromgoole 


J2mo,  cloth,  illustrate  J  by  Edmund  H.   Garrctt 
N*t  $1.25;  postpaid  $1.40 


An  author  whose  art  can  hold  equally  the  interest  of  both 
men  and  women  is  an  exception,  but  Miss  Will  Allen  Drom- 
goole,  the  brilliant  Southern  writer,  has  accomplished  this 
with  success  in  "THE  ISLAND  OF  BEAUTIFUL 
THINGS." 

With  delightful  precision  of  vision  and  style  she  gives  us  a 
love  story  of  the  South.  It  is  the  first  time  she  has  interpre- 
ted this  phase  of  life  and  her  conception  and  treatment  is 
decidedly  original. 

Through  a  little  child  a  strong  "  fighting  man,"  who  has 
lost  all  confidence  in  human  nature,  is  led  to  put  his  trust  in 
humanity  once  more  —  and  in  a  woman. 

The  author  has  developed  the  story  so  sympathetically  that 
the  book  and  the  people  in  it  will  linger  long  in  the  reader's 
memory. 


"  A  charming  portrayal  of  the  attractive  life  of  the  South,  refreshing  as  a 
breeze  that  blows  through  a  pine  forest."  —  Albany  Times-Union. 

"  The  interest  of  the  first  chapter  heightens  as  the  story  progresses,  and 
when  one  finishes  the  tale  it  is  with  regret  that  the  story  is  not  much  longer." 
—  Boston  Pilot. 

"  It  leaves  one  tenderer,  more  hopeful,  more  human."  —  Public  Opinion. 

"  This  is  the  kind  of  a  story  that  makes  one  grow  younger,  more  innocent, 
more  lighthearted.    Its  literary  quality  is  impeccable.     It  is  not  every  day 
that  such  a  hero  blossoms  into  even  temporary  existence,  and  the  very  nam 
e  story  bears  a  breath  of  charm."  —  Chicago  Record-Herald. 


SUSAN  SMI 


Cloth   decoratioe,    illustrated  by  Jessie    Qillespit 
Net  $1.00,  postpaid  $1.10 

» 

In  THE  PLEASURING  OF  SUSAN  SMITH  Miss 
Winslow  has  given  us  a  refreshing  little  story  without  any  of 
the  perplexing  problems  or  baffling  mysteries  of  the  usual  fic- 
tion of  the  day. 

The  story  is  original  in  plot,  bright  and  merry  in  spirit,  and 
full  of  kindly  humor  in  style  and  incident.  Amusing  experi- 
ences and  ludicrous  situations  are  encountered  from  the  begin- 
ning to  the  end. 

Susan  is  bright,  breezy  and  philosophical ;  but,  in  the  little 
country  town  where  she  was  brought  up,  she  never  had  the 
chance  to  show  her  adaptability.  When  the  opportunity 
arises  she  responds  in  a  way  that  will  prove  entertaining 
and  fascinating  to  the  reader. 


Of  the  author's  previous  book,  "Peggy  at  Spinster  Farm,"  the 
critics  have  commented  as  follows :  — 

"  It  is  an  alluring,  wholesome  tale."  —  Schenectady  Star. 

"  Is  a  story  remarkably  interesting,  and  no  book  will  be  found  more  enter- 
taining than  this  one,  especially  for  those  who  enjoy  light-hearted  character 
sketches,  and  startling  and  unexpected  happenings."  —  Northampton 
Gazette. 

"An   exceptionally  well-written   book."  —  Milwaukee  Evening  Wis- 

"The  Spinster  and  Peggy  have  a  quiet  sense  of  humor  of  their  own  and 
they  convey  their  experiences  with  a  quaint  enjoyment  that  holds  us  irresist- 
ibly." —  The  Argonaut. 


T  HE      HONEY      POT 

Or,  in  the  Garden  of  Lelita 
Richardson 


Author  of 
"  The  Lead  of  Honour,"  "  George  Thome,"  etc. 


Cloth    decorative,    illustrated  by  Jessie    Qillespie 
Net  $1.00;  postpaid  $1.15 


Mr.  Richardson's  new  novel  confirms  the  large  promise  of 
his  earlier  books.  His  latest  story  has  picturesque  Mexico 
for  a  setting,  and  is  a  charming  love-comedy  throughout. 

In  a  highly  entertaining  manner  the  author  relates  the  love 
story  of  a  captivating  Spanish  maiden  who  played  havoc  with 
the  trusting  hearts  of  three  Americans  —  bachelors  all  —  one 
just  in  his  salad  days,  another  "  hardened  "  at  thirty-three, 
and  still  another  of  forty  years. 

The  perplexing  situations  that  arise,  their  solution  and  the 
highly  dramatic  denouement  combine  to  make  this  a  fascina- 
ting romance. 


On  Mr.  Richardson's  previous  books  the  press  has  commented 
as  follows :  — 

"A  story  of  much  more  than1  usual  merit.  It  is  seldom  that  one  turns 
away  from  a  work  of  fiction  with  more  reluctance  to«part  company  with 
its  people  and  with  a  greater  impetus  towards  one's  own  best."  —  Boston 
Herald. 

"  This  is  a  tense  and  well  told  story,  enriched  by  abundant  incident  and 
vivid  characterization."  —  Chicago  Record-Herald. 

"  The  theme  is  not  a  common  one,  and  the  author  presents  it  in  a  very 
attractive  and  entertaining  form."  —  Peoria  Herald  Transcript. 

"  The  story  calls  upon  one's  feeling  and  upon  one's  thinking  and  calls  not 
in  vain."  —  Chicago  Inter-Octan. 

"  Norval  Richardson  has  made  a  strong  story  which  embodies  a  most 
interesting  study  of  the  influences  of  physical  conditions  upon  the  mind."  — 
Boston  Literary  Ideas. 


THE  CRADLE  OF  THE  DEEP 

2fe?  Jacob  Fisher 

I2mo,  chth  decorative,  with  a  frontispiece  in  full  color 

Net  $1.25;  postpaid  $1.40 

In  «  THE  CRADLE  OF  THE  DEEP  "  we  have  a  strong 
human  story  that  relates  amid  intensely  dramatic  scenes  the 
experiences  of  a  Boston  girl,  Eleanor  Channing. 

Shipwrecked  in  the  Southern  Pacific,  on  her  way  to  Manila, 
she  is  rescued  by  the  second  officer,  John  Starbuck.  For 
months  they  are  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  world  on  an 
uncharted  island. 

Although  the  girl  fully  realizes  her  position  and  how  utterly 
dependent  she  is  upon  Starbuck  she  refuses  at  first  to  accept 
him  on  even  a  friendly  basis ;  but  love  at  last  conquers,  and 
the  husk  of  convention  is  dropped  when  she  repays  Starbuck 
for  his  devotion. 

The  story  deals  with  strong  characters  and  calls  forth  cir- 
cumstances where  custom  counts  for  nothing. 


THE  CHRONICLES  OF  QUINCY 
ADAMS  SAWYER;  DETECTIVE 

By  Charles  Felton  Pidgin 

Author  of 
"  Quincy  Adams  Sawyer,"  "  The  Further  Adventures  of 

Quincy  Adams  Sawyer,"  etc. 

I2mo.  cloth,  illustrated  by  Harold  J.  Cue 
Net  $1.25;  postpaid  $1.40 

The  many  thousands  who  have  read  and  enjoyed  the  ex- 
periences of  QUINCY  ADAMS  SAWYER  in  Mr.  Pidgin's 
previous  books  will  give  a  hearty  welcome  to  the  new  volume. 
In  this  book  young  Quincy  Adams  Sawyer  establishes  an 
office  for  the  investigation  of  crime,  and  succeeds  in  unravel- 
ling a  series  of  startling  mysteries  which  have  baffled  the  city 
police. 


RAYTON:   A    Backwoods    Mystery 
&  Theodore  Qoodridge  Roberts 

Author  of 
"A  Captain  of  Raleigh's,"  "Comrades  of  the  Trails,"  etc. 

Illustrated  by  John  Qoss. 


Cloth  decorative,  net  $1.25;  postpaid  $1.40 


Adventure,  the  exhilaration  of  outdoor  life  in  settlement 
and  wilderness,  mystery,  and  clear-cut,  appealing  character- 
ization are  combined  in  this  story  in  so  engrossing  and 
unusual  a  manner  that  we  feel  justified  in  recommending  it. 

The  scene  is  the  quiet  little  village  of  Samson's  Mill 
Settlement,  in  the  backwoods  of  New  Brunswick,  and  it  is 
around  the  Harleys,  the  most  important  family  in  the  vil- 
lage, that  the  story  centres.  The  Harleys  boast  of  a  family 
tradition.  Upon  three  instances  of  courtship  in  previous 
generations  the  receipt  of  a  playing  card  marked  with  three 
red  crosses  has  forerun  disaster. 

The  family  tradition  is  vividly  recalled  by  James  Harley 
when  David  Marsh,  a  prosperous  young  guide,  in  love  with 
Nell  Harley,  receives  a  card  marked  with  the  fatal  red  crosses 
during  a  game  of  poker  in  the  home  of  Rayton,  a  young 
Englishman  who  is  a  newcomer  in  the  settlement. 

True  to  the  old  tradition,  accidents,  misfortune  and  misun- 
derstandings follow  in  the  wake  of  the  fatal  card  until  the  en- 
tire village  is  puzzled  and  apprehensive.  Rayton  settles  down 
to  solve  the  mystery  and  at  last  finds  the  true  solution. 


"  As  a  clever  spinning  of  incident  out  of  homespun  materials,  it  must  win 
our  sincere  admiration;  as  a  novelty  in  tales  of  mystery  it  comes  with  a  pleas- 
ing sense  of  surprise  and  suggests  a  new  kind  of  possibility  in  this  kind  of 
fiction.  It  is  sincerely  and  ably  written,  and  sustains  a  high  level  from  the 
first  page  to  the  last."  —  The  Boston  Herald. 


Selections  from 
L.  C.  Page  and  Company's 
List  of  Fiction 

WORKS  OF 

ROBERT  NEILSON  STEPHENS 

Each  one  vol.,  library  12mo,  doth  decorative         .        .       $1.50 

THE  FLIGHT  OF  GEORGIANA 

A  ROMANCE  OF  THE  DATS  OF  THE  YOUNG  PRETENDER.  Illus- 
trated by  H.  C.  Edwards. 

"  A  love-story  in  the  highest  degree,  a  dashing  story,  and  a  re- 
markably well  finished  piece  of  work."  —  Chicago  Record-Herald. 

THE  BRIGHT  FACE  OF  DANGER 

Being  an  account  of  some  adventures  of  Henri  de  Launay,  son 
of  the  Sieur  de  la  Tournoire.  Illustrated  by  H.  C.  Edwards. 
"  Mr.  Stephens  has  fairly  outdone  himself.  We  thank  him 

heartily.    The  story  is  nothing  if  not  spirited  and  entertaining, 

ratiojaal  and  convincing."  —  Boston  Transcript. 

THE  MYSTERY  OF  MURRAY  DAVENPORT 

(40th  thousand.) 

"  This  is  easily  the  best  thing  that  Mr.  Stephens  has  yet  done. 
Those  familiar  with  his  other  novels  can  best  judge  the  measure 
of  this  praise,  which  is  generous."  —  Buffalo  News. 

CAPTAIN  RAVENSHAW 

OR,  THE  MAID  OF  CHEAPSIDE.    (52d  thousand.)    A  romance 

of  Elizabethan  London.     Illustrations  by  Howard  Pyle  and 

other  artists. 

Not  since  the  absorbing  adventures  of  D'Artaguan  have  we  had 
anything  so  good  in  the  blended  vein  of  romance  and  comedy. 

THE  CONTINENTAL  DRAGOON 

A   ROMANCE   OF  PHILIPSE   MANOR  HOUSE   IN   1778.     (53d 
thousand.)    Illustrated  by  H.  C.  Edwards. 
A  stirring  romance  of  the  Resolution,  with  its  scenes  laid  on 
neutral  territory 


L.   C.  PAGE   &   COMPANY'S 


PHILIP  WINWOOD 

(70th  thousand.)  A  Sketch  of  the  Domestic  History  of  an 
American  Captain  in  the  War  of  Independence,  embracing 
events  that  occurred  between  and  during  the  years  1763  and 
1785  in  New  York  and  London.  Illustrated  by  E.  W.  D. 
Hamilton. 

AN   ENEMY  TO   THE  KING 

(70th  thousand.)  From  the  "  Recently  Discovered  Memoirs 
of  the  Sieur  de  la  Tournoire."  Illustrated  by  H.  De  M.  Young. 
An  historical  romance  of  the  sixteenth  century,  describing  the 

adventures  of  a  young  French  nobleman  at  the  court  of  Henry 

III.,  and  on  the  field  with  Henry  IV. 

THE  ROAD   TO   PARIS 

A  STORY  OF  ADVENTURE.  (35th  thousand.)  Illustrated  by 
H.  C.  Edwards. 

An  historical  romance  of  the  eighteenth  century,  being  an 
account  of  the  life  of  an  American  gentleman  adventurer. 

A   GENTLEMAN  PLAYER 

His  ADVENTURES  ON  A  SECRET  MISSION  FOR  QUEEN  ELIZA- 
BETH.    (48th  thousand.)     Illustrated  by  Frank  T.   Merrill. 
The  story  of  a  young  gentleman  who  joins  Shakespeare's 
company  of  players,  and  becomes  a  protege  of  the  great  poet. 

CLEMENTINA'S  HIGHWAYMAN 

Cloth  decorative,  illustrated $1.50 

The  story  is  laid  in  the  mid-Georgian  period.  It  is  a  dashing, 
sparkling,  vivacious  comedy,  with  a  heroine  as  lovely  and 
changeable  as  an  April  day,  and  a  hero  all  ardor  and  daring. 

TALES  FROM  BOHEMIA 

Illustrated  by  Wallace  Goldsmith. 

Cloth,  decorative  cover $1.50 

These  bright  and  clever  tales  deal  with  people  of  the  theatre 
and  odd  characters  in  other  walks  of  life  which  fringe  on  Bo- 
hemia. 

A  SOLDIER  OF  VALLEY  FORGE 

By  ROBERT  NEILSON  STEPHENS  AND  THEODORE  GOODEIDQB 
ROBERTS. 

Cloth  decorative,  with  frontispiece  in  full  color  from  a  paint- 
ing by  Frank  T.  Merrill ^$1.50 

"  The  plot  shows  invention  and  is  developed  with  originality, 
and  there  is  incident  in  abundance."  —  Brooklyn  Times. 


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